


The Window To His Heart

by Midori__99



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anime References, ChanSoo - Freeform, Chinguline (EXO), Do Kyungsoo | D.O-centric, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, I Tried, I have a feeling this turned out rather cheesy, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Semi Happy fanfiction, Sweet Park Chanyeol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 21:06:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17753474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midori__99/pseuds/Midori__99
Summary: Little did Kyungsoo know that his love for playing outdoors and a backyard soccer mishap with two of his best friends would lead him to find the one thing (or person rather) he would later grow to love the most of all.





	1. Of Soccer, Blue-White Curtains and Meeting the Elf

**Author's Note:**

> Ahem, so I'm back with another ChanSoo fic, this time an attempted multi-chapter. I'm very very nervous about this so please do be kind. ^^;  
> As promised, I attempted something happier though there is still some angst here and there. But most of it is happy.....I guess. And anyway, I haven't decided on the ending properly yet so about that I can't promise anything.......I think I'm already gonna get killed.  
> Okayyyy, enough rambling. Let's get started, shall we?  
> P.S: Just saying but since I'm a full on otaku as well, the school bits here would seem very much like out of a high school anime so I hope you don't mind. ^^;

Kyungsoo loved the outdoors. Even though he wasn’t the sportiest of kids, he loved rushing out of the front doors of his house and feeling the lush grass in the front-yard of his house prickle the bare soles of his feet. He loved the feeling of the sun hitting his face and the breeze that blew every now and then that would play with the black locks of his hair. Kyungsoo’s outdoor ventures were always made better by his friends, the other neighbourhood kids who would always drop by his house to play and frolic. He didn’t have many friends but Kyungsoo was satisfied. Byun Baekhyun and Kim Jongdae were more than enough for him.

When Kyungsoo turned seven, Jongdae’s younger brother Jongin and his friend Oh Sehun joined their tiny group. When Kyungsoo turned ten, he was deemed old enough to venture out of the boundaries of his house and allowed to go short distances like the nearby park or the tiny departmental store. Kyungsoo and his friends felt like grown-ups as they used the money their parents had given them to purchase ice-cream for themselves all on their own for the first time.

When Kyungsoo turned eleven and started attending Middle School along with Baekhyun and Jongdae, he met someone who would impact his life in ways he never realized was possible.

……………………………………

Baekhyun and Jongdae dropped in unannounced at Kyungsoo’s house one Sunday with a soccer ball in their hands and big grins decorating their faces. Jongin and Sehun also stood behind them, Jongin with the characteristic sleepy look etched on his face and Sehun as usual seeming a little shy as he smiled when Kyungsoo opened the front door with a happy smile of his own.

Kyungsoo’s mother took to making all of them lemonade and shaved ice with mangoes while they all trooped to the backyard to have a tiny game of soccer. It was too hot to go to the park and Kyungsoo’s backyard was the biggest compared to the rest of them. Soon enough, the backyard was filled with shouts and gleeful noises as the game between the five boys commenced. The game however came to an abrupt end when Baekhyun, the most enthusiastic out of them all, kicked the ball a little too hard and it flew over the boundary wall, landing in the properties of the house next doors. A chorus of groans immediately sounded from five disappointed boys as they gazed at the house next door in utter dismay.

“Why did you have to go and do that for, Baekkie?” Jongdae was always the first one to complain, sending his companion a reproachful look.

“It’s not my fault!” Baekhyun protested instead. “The backyard’s too small for soccer! I told you it was not a good idea to play soccer in the backyard!”

Sehun raised his hand, albeit a little timidly, “Maybe we can play video games instead? Kyungsoo hyung, you have a console, don’t you?”

Kyungsoo nodded his head.

Then Jongdae stomped his feet impatiently. “That’s all well and fine but we need to get the ball! Who is going to go and get it from a possibly angry neighbourhood auntie?”

That appeared to be a good question indeed as all five of them gazed at the walls and the house beyond it that suddenly loomed ominously like a foreboding shadow. All of them tentatively took a step back.

“Well,” Baekhyun began in a small voice. “Maybe we should forget about the ball.”

“What do you mean?” Jongdae immediately piped up indignantly. “That ball is mine, or rather Jongin’s. There’s no way I’m just abandoning it!”

“Then maybe you should be the one to go get it,” Baekhyun suggested. “Seeing that the ball is yours.”

Jongdae blanched. “But it’s not mine,” he sent a look at his silent younger brother who promptly hid behind Sehun’s back, glowering and daring the older sibling to even suggest sending him there. “And….I’m not sending Jongin either. I don’t want him to get killed by the scary auntie.”

A silence fell over the youngsters as they contemplated on who to send to fetch the ball and face the supposedly scary neighbour next door. Until Kyungsoo got rather frustrated and raised his hand. He had little patience to spare anyway. “I’ll go.”

His friends looked at him with mixed expressions of relief as well as worry. “Are you sure, Soo?” Baekhyun asked.

“Well, if I don’t go no one else will go anyway,” Kyungsoo said with a shrug, trying to appear brave. “Besides, since we are neighbours, I can always get Mum to talk with the scary auntie if things go wrong.” He didn’t know how that made sense but it worked in making the rest of his friends more relieved.

“Great!” Baekhyun beamed. “Then me and Jongdae will go with you till the gate and stand guard. We will inform you if we see the scary auntie coming out of the house.”

“Thank goodness we got our walkie-talkies! Soo, you better get yours too,” Jongdae was beginning to bounce a little in his excitement. “Nini and Hunnie, you both stay here and wait for us.”

And so, after arming themselves with the communication devices and waving the younger two of their group goodbyes and ‘see you again’s, the three of them made out of the Do household’s protective boundaries and stood in front of the house next door’s black iron wrought gates. Exchanging quick encouraging nods with his friends, Kyungsoo clambered up the gate as fast as he could and lithely landed on the other side. Looking around him once to see if the coast was clear, he then walked fast and quiet towards the area where he knew the ball would’ve landed. Except, there was no ball to be found.

Panicked, Kyungsoo searched frantically again behind bushes and shrubs to see if he had missed it but to no avail. He started thinking that maybe the scary auntie had found it already and was now planning to use it as a bait to trap them all.

“Hey,” the sudden voice startled him so much that he nearly tripped over his own feet and fell backwards. He whipped around to see a boy leaning out of the open window with blue and white striped curtains just there, staring at him with curious big eyes. Kyungsoo wondered how he had missed seeing the window earlier and mentally cursed himself. He then let his gaze wander to the boy leaning out of the window and took in his features.

The boy had longish wavy dark brown hair that came down till his eyebrows and big rather pretty eyes that sparkled with curiosity and interest. He was pale in complexion and his lips were slightly chapped. But Kyungsoo’s eyes widened when they travelled towards the boy’s ears which were ridiculously big and fanned outwards. The tips were pointy and were the only bit of his body that Kyungsoo could see which were shaded with a healthy natural red. Almost like a….

“Elf!” Kyungsoo squeaked out before he could control himself and then slapped his hand over his mouth in horror.

The “elf” in turn looked rather offended as he self-consciously brought up his hands to cover his ears. “Rude! I don’t like people making fun of my ears,” he muttered while frowning at Kyungsoo. “And I’m very much human, thanks a lot.”

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo began sincerely. “But I didn’t mean it that way. I like elves. Your ears are pretty.” And Kyungsoo mentally slapped himself again, for blabbering without thinking through. He wanted to die. He’d just called someone pretty!

It made a difference on the other boy though. His frown melted and he gazed at Kyungsoo with wonder. “You really think so?” the boy’s lips started stretching into a big smile. “Thanks! This is the first time someone called my ears pretty. Even Yoora Noona never calls them pretty.”

Kyungsoo decided he liked the other boy much more when he smiled. And hence, Kyungsoo found himself shyly smiling back at him. “You’re welcome.”

The boy grinned brightly for a bit before something seemed to dawn upon him and he turned away from the window only to come back, this time holding a familiar looking soccer ball in his hands. “I almost forgot. Is this yours?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered what he was actually here for and nodded his head vigorously. “Yes! How did you get it?”

“It came flying into my room through the window,” the boy said as he tossed the ball into Kyungsoo’s eagerly outstretched hands. “I got the shock of my life.”

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo was quick to apologize again. “We were playing soccer in our backyard and Baekhyun kicked it with too much force!”

The boy stared at him with renewed curiosity and gave him a questioning smile. “You….were playing soccer in the backyard?”

Kyungsoo felt himself heat up a little as he realized how absurd it actually sounded. “Yeah, I know. Bad decision. We should’ve never even thought……”

“Is it fun?” the boy interrupted him. “Playing soccer in the backyard?”

Kyungsoo gave him the curious look this time. “Yeah,” he began. “Only if Baekhyun and Jongdae are playing with me though.”

“Baekhyun and Jongdae?”

“My best friends,” Kyungsoo was quick to explain. “They…”

He couldn’t continue because the walkie-talkie attached to his belt started crackling just then.

“Agent Kyungsoo, where are you?” Baekhyun’s grainy voice rang out of it. “If you are still alive and not caught by the scary neighbourhood auntie, then answer. Over.”

Kyungsoo fumbled with the device and hastily pressed the button in order to deliver his own message. He had forgotten that his friends were waiting for him by the gate. “I’m alive. Ran into a bit of complications but I’m fine. Will be on my way soon. Over and out.” He sighed and then placed the walkie-talkie back in its rightful place only to realize as he turned towards the other boy that Baekhyun had called his mother “scary” in front of him. Kyungsoo gulped nervously. “Um….”

The boy cocked his head quizzically to the side. “Scary neighbourhood auntie? You mean my Mom?”

“Uh….yeah.”

“But she is not scary.”

“Yeah, but…..”Kyungsoo frantically thought of a satisfactory answer he could give the boy. “I’m…an outsider right? And I’m here without permission. My mom is pretty scary towards outsiders and trespassers.  All moms are scary towards trespassers. You know, like in anime….moms get angry when other kids come into their grounds without permission right? Baekhyun meant it like that.”  

Kyungsoo had no idea what anime even had moms getting angry over trespassing kids but at the moment all he hoped was for the boy to buy the excuse. And apparently the boy did, because his face lit up with a bright grin.

“Oh, I think I understand what you mean!” he said enthusiastically. “Alright then, I won’t tell my mom that you were here.”

Kyungsoo flashed him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much! Now, I really have to get going before your mom notices. So…..bye?”

“Wait, before you go,” the boy hesitated a little before speaking again. “What’s your name?”

“Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo smiled softly. “Do Kyungsoo.”

“Kyungsoo,” the boy repeated the name before breaking into a huge grin. “I’m happy I met you, Kyungsoo! I’m Park Chanyeol.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but return the grin before he dashed away towards the gate, to his waiting friends.

“Finally!” Jongdae cried out, the exasperation as well as relief evident in his voice as he and Baekhyun watched Kyungsoo quickly climb over the gate and join them on the other side. “You took so long we thought the auntie had definitely taken you prisoner!”

“Yeah, man!” Baekhyun joined in next. “What even delayed you?”

“I couldn’t find the ball,” was all Kyungsoo said. Somehow, he didn’t want them to know of his encounter with the boy next door. Park Chanyeol. Thinking back to the kid with the elfish ears and huge grin, Kyungsoo felt a strange sort of excitement run through him. _His_ Park Chanyeol. Well, at least for now.   

…………………………………….


	2. Brownies and Angelic Neighbours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annyeong! I'm back with the second chapter! I know I'm updating a bit too fast but I'm rather excited for this piece as well. Plus our exams just ended and college week will be ending soon too so I have more time to write. Yay!  
> Anyway, read along and I hope this chapter satisfies you all. Do give me suggestions if you guys have any.  
> Love you all, Eris! Keep supporting EXO. (and me too ^^; But EXO first)

The thought of Park Chanyeol and his elfish image was strangely persistent in Kyungsoo’s head. He found himself repeatedly wondering about the boy and if he was staring out of the window with the blue and white striped curtains. He wondered if he was out with his friends for the day. He also wondered if Chanyeol _had_ any friends at all.

“Kyungsoo honey,” his mom’s voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back to Earth with a start. He blinked twice before he saw his mom’s face peering at him with slight concern. “Are you alright, dear? You’ve been spacing out a lot this morning.”

“Mm, yes, I’m fine Mum,” Kyungsoo murmured as he picked up a piece of his ham and put it in his mouth. He cringed a little when he found out that it had gone cold. “I was thinking about….my friends.”

“Do you want to call them over?” his mother smiled at him. She liked his friends as much as he did. “I was planning to bake some brownies today since your brother will be returning from boarding school for the holidays. I can make some extras for your friends if you want.”

Kyungsoo considered the offer. He knew Baekhyun to be out of town, holidaying with his family and wondered if he should just call Jongdae and Jongin, maybe even Sehun over before he remembered that Jongdae had different plans as well. “None of them are at home……” he began before with a start he recalled Park Chanyeol from next door. He wondered if he liked brownies. “But maybe you can make some extras for me?”

His mother laughed and ruffled his hair. “Alright, dear. If you feel like eating some extra bit today, then sure why not?”

That day saw Kyungsoo inside the boundaries of the house next door once again, standing in front of the open window with the blue and white striped curtains. Feeling too exposed to use the front gate, Kyungsoo had climbed over the boundary wall this time and landed directly in front of the window he wanted with barely a sound. He was a good climber anyway.

But as he stood on the grass, looking at the open window, a bit of doubt started forming in his head. Was Chanyeol even there in the house? What if he wasn’t and Kyungsoo had climbed the wall in vain? What if he was there but he didn’t want Kyungsoo’s company? What if he didn’t like brownies?

Kyungsoo shook his head and told himself to stop overthinking. He was already here now so of course he couldn’t go back just yet. And so, steeling his nerves, he went closer to the window and whispered out a loud “Psst!”

Chanyeol’s head popped up immediately, almost like he had been waiting for him. His perpetually curious expression changed into that of a huge smile when he saw who it was that was standing outside his window. “Kyungsoo!” he exclaimed in excitement and slight surprise. “You’re back!”

Alarmed, Kyungsoo put a quick finger to his lips. Chanyeol seemed to get the message.

“And……you’re trespassing again,” his grin impossibly seemed to get wider. “Why did you come today? Lost your soccer ball again?”

Kyungsoo suddenly felt shy. “I….came to see you today.”

“You did?” Chanyeol forgot to whisper because of the sheer happiness he felt. “That makes me so happy!”

“Not because I….I want to be your friend or anything!” Kyungsoo felt his face burning. He had no idea why he felt that way. “I just thought….that you would like the brownies my…my Mum made.”

“Brownies!” to Kyungsoo’s utter horror, Chanyeol’s voice got even louder due to his glee. “I love brownies! You are the best, Kyungsoo!”

Frantically, Kyungsoo shushed him before he looked around in nervousness, half expecting an angry lady to suddenly pop out from the corner and slap a pair of handcuffs on his wrists. He had been watching too much of Case Closed lately for his own good.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol was whispering again. Then he cocked his head to one side like how he had done when he was confused the last time Kyungsoo had been there. “But Kyungsoo, why are you sneaking again? You didn’t accidently kick a ball into our compound this time. You could’ve just come through the front door.”

Kyungsoo considered the question. Chanyeol had a point. Why was he even sneaking this time? For some reason, Kyungsoo wanted their interactions to be done in secret.

“I don’t really know,” he answered with a shrug. “I guess it is sort of exciting to be talking to you without letting anyone else know. Like….being secret friends.”

“Just like Romeo and Juliet!” Chanyeol whispered excitedly.

This time, it was Kyungsoo’s turn to look at him quizzically. “Who?”

“You don’t know?” Chanyeol looked incredulous. “Why, it is the most famous love story in the world! Yoora Noona is always talking about it. Romeo and Juliet’s parents were enemies but they were lovers and always secretly met with each other. Just like how we are doing now!”

Kyungsoo marveled at how Chanyeol seemed to know so much while he himself only watched a lot of anime when he realized the boy had just compared them to lovers. For some reason he couldn’t quite place, he felt his face heat up again. “But Chanyeol, we aren’t lovers!”

“Yeah!” Chanyeol grinned happily. “We are secret friends!”

The warmth Kyungsoo felt just then felt different. And nicer. He found himself smiling back and nodding his head. Secret friends. He and Chanyeol were friends now. And no one knew. Chanyeol belonged to him. _His_ Park Chanyeol. And nothing else could make him happier.

They talked for a while longer, sharing the brownies as well as sharing stories. Kyungsoo found out a lot more about Chanyeol that day. He found out about the huge collection of manga that Chanyeol owned. That Chanyeol’s favorite anime series was Dragon Ball. That Chanyeol didn’t go outdoors to play because he got sick easily and his mother worried too much. That Chanyeol loved music and had been learning the piano since he was three and was even beginning to learn the guitar now. That Chanyeol loved sweets and wanted to learn how to cook as well as his mother did one day.

Kyungsoo found himself admiring and liking the bright, warm boy with the elfish ears more and more. He seemed to be able to do everything that Kyungsoo wasn’t able to do. He had watched as many anime series as Kyungsoo himself had watched. And he seemed to know so many stories that it amazed Kyungsoo. Park Chanyeol, in Kyungsoo’s mind was incredible.

There was only one thing that Chanyeol seemed to be unable to do and which Kyungsoo could do and did every day.

“You’ve never played outdoors?” He exclaimed, disbelieving, when Chanyeol revealed the fact that he wasn’t allowed to go outside his house.

In answer, the said boy shook his head. “Nope, my Mom says outdoors is bad for me because of my health,” he then turned his curious gaze at Kyungsoo once more. “What’s it like? Being outdoors? Playing in the park?”

To Kyungsoo, who loved the outdoors with all his heart, being unable to step out of the house was an idea that was unfathomable. “Being outdoors is the best thing in the whole world!” he answered enthusiastically. “I’m almost always outdoors because I love it so much!”

“You’re lucky,” and it was there that Chanyeol gained a wistful look in his eyes that wrung Kyungsoo’s heart. “I’ve always wanted to go outside. It always seems so lovely.”

Kyungsoo stared at his new friend and decided that he hated it when Chanyeol looked so lonely. And so, determination burning through him, he made a promise before he could change his mind.

“If you get better someday,” he began. “Then I will take you outside to play. And maybe then you can play soccer with me, Baekhyun and Jongdae too, in the park this time.”

Chanyeol’s eyes got wide at that and the smile that bloomed on his pale cheerful face made Kyungsoo’s breath hitch. “You mean it? You really do?” he laughed out happily. “Thank you, Kyungsoo! You really are the best!”

Kyungsoo merely nodded his head, being unable to speak. He thought to himself that the smile Chanyeol wore was the most beautiful thing he had seen so far.  

…………………………………………

It took two whole weeks more of climbing boundary walls and secret meetings with a grinning boy with the elfish ears (who insisted on being the Juliet to his Romeo) before Kyungsoo was inevitably caught by the “scary neighbourhood auntie”.

It happened on the last day of his summer vacations which he had specifically reserved to spend with Chanyeol alone. They were both occupying their usual spots – Chanyeol at the window and Kyungsoo seated on the grass, sharing a packet of potato crackers between them and laughing at something one of them had said when Mrs. Park suddenly appeared from the corner before neither of them could even blink an eye.

Kyungsoo froze as did Mrs. Park, both of them staring at each other in utmost horror and surprise respectively.

“I was wondering who Yeol-ah was talking to for so long that he didn’t even hear my calls for snacks,” Mrs. Park was the first one to break the silence. Her gaze never left Kyungsoo as she spoke. “So, it wasn’t an imaginary friend, after all. Are you from the house next door, dear?”

“Mom!” Chanyeol recovered from the shock faster than Kyungsoo did and greeted his mother with a huge smile. “You found us out! This is Kyungsoo, my secret friend.”

“Well, is that so?” Chanyeol’s mother smiled at Kyungsoo who was ready to bolt at the first chance he got. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kyungsoo. Why don’t you come inside?”

Kyungsoo panicked. His first reaction was to think of a possible way to decline and then escape. He was almost convinced that it was a trap and that Chanyeol’s mother was going to lure him in just to capture him and punish him for sneaking into their compound. But then he took one look towards Chanyeol’s expectant face and deflated. As much as he was scared of the lady in front of him, Kyungsoo thought facing the disappointment of his newfound friend would be even worse. And so he turned towards Mrs. Park with a nervous smile and timidly nodded his head.

And hence, it was for the first time that Kyungsoo entered the Park Residence. It was a big cozy house with walls painted a nice shade of beige and the nicest, comfiest living room he had ever seen. It had the softest of sofas and the rugs. There was a pretty fireplace on one end of the room and two tall bookshelves filled to the brim with books of all sizes lined the wall. There was even a mini grand piano on a slightly raised platform next to the fireplace and three different kinds of guitars kept on their own stands. Kyungsoo was distracted from the awestruck daze only when Chanyeol came running out to meet him with the excitement loudly visible in his face.

“Chanyeol,” his mother chided him gently. “I told you, no running indoors.”

“Sorry, Mom!” Chanyeol grinned out, not looking the least bit apologetic and instead grabbed Kyungsoo’s hands. “Come on! I’ll show you my room!”

Before Kyungsoo could say anything, he found himself being dragged by the enthusiastic boy to the room of whose window he had stood before only a few moments back. Now he stood in the room itself and took in more than just the blue and white striped curtains that billowed gently in the breeze that blew every now and then.

Chanyeol’s room was simple with the same off-white walls and a small bed near the window. One wall contained an attached book-case that was filled with manga as well as novels and what looked like music score books. On the other end there was Chanyeol’s study table which contained some more books and a few Dragon Ball action figures. Kyungsoo loved it all.

They spent nearly over an hour just talking. Chanyeol did most of the talking and Kyungsoo listened. He knew a lot about anime, even more than Kyungsoo himself, and Kyungsoo could only listen on, enraptured as Chanyeol launched into an endless tirade about every anime possible all while waving his hands about animatedly in order to emphasize on his words. When he stopped after he got too tired, Kyungsoo started talking about what he knew best. He talked about outdoors, the park with its creaky swings, Baekhyun and Jongdae, school, his teachers and those who annoyed him. It was all everyday stuff that he talked about. He worried that for Chanyeol, who seemed to know so much fun stuff, his stories would be boring and tiresome. But Chanyeol listened to it all with a sparkle in his eyes and a grin that asked for more. He would beg Kyungsoo to continue talking whenever Kyungsoo stopped to take a breath. To Chanyeol, the stories from outdoors and school was a whiff of fresh breath.

“You’ve never been to school either?” Kyungsoo couldn’t hide his incredulity when Chanyeol had inquired with a confused look on his face about what P.E was.

“No,” Chanyeol admitted while laughing a little sheepishly. “I’ve always had a home tutor instead.”

“You’re so lucky!” at Kyungsoo’s exclamation Chanyeol’s confused look returned again. “I swear classes are the most boring things ever in the world! Not to mention all those tests we always have to give. Ugh! Why do we need tests? I’m telling you, Chanyeol, you’re not missing anything from not coming to school.”

“But school sounds so much fun!” Chanyeol protested instead. “Even I want to attend classes with everyone and exchange secret notes with each other that would make me laugh behind the teacher’s back. And P.E sounds so much fun as well. Plus sharing lunch with Baekhyun and Jongdae also sounds like so much fun! Now I want to go to school too!”

Kyungsoo was just about say otherwise and counter Chanyeol’s points when he clamped his mouth shut. He remembered the times when Baekhyun played pranks on some of their unsuspecting classmates and the whole class had a good laugh. He remembered them sneaking to the school rooftops even though it was out of bounds just to share really delicious lunch and milkshakes with each other. He _especially_ remembered the annual school festivals and the sports week where they had the most fun of all. Maybe, Chanyeol was right. School _was_ fun.

“Well,” Kyungsoo began hesitantly. “I guess there are some good things about school.”

Chanyeol immediately looked elated, with his signature wide grin that threatened to split his face in two, and nodded fervently. “I know right! You are so lucky, Kyungsoo-yah!”

Their conversation only came to an end when Chanyeol’s mother entered the room armed with a tray that contained a jug full of delicious looking milkshake and loads of different types of snacks. Wide-eyed and grinning hugely, both boys pounced on the food, all words and talks forgotten.

Kyungsoo remembered before he went back home to thank Mrs. Park fervently with a huge smile. He mentally told himself that she wasn’t scary, but an absolute angel of a neighbourhood auntie.

……………………………………

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews and kudos are much appreciated. ^o^


	3. New Friendships And Empty Winters

Summer holidays regretfully came to an end like always and classes began in full swing. Teachers were harsher and moods were fouler as endless notes and homework were rained on the students one after another because it would be exam season soon. Baekhyun and Jongdae’s complaints never stopped about how their homeroom teacher was a complete demon and that the sheer amount of homework that he assigned was close to torture.

Kyungsoo, surprisingly for a change, kept in high spirits, much to his best friends’ suspicions because he was usually the grumpiest of them all. He also cancelled out on their after school soccer plans too often to rush back home with a new excuse every time. It astonished and annoyed them when it got a bit too repetitive for their liking.

And so, one day, when Kyungsoo had bailed out on them again, Baekhyun called for an emergency meeting concerning their friend. He, Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun met in their usual spot in the neighbourhood park to discuss with absolute seriousness about what was probably keeping Kyungsoo so busy that he couldn’t play with them anymore.

“And so, I was thinking,” Baekhyun immediately began when they were all seated around comfortably on the grass. “Kyungsoo must have got a girlfriend. That’s the only possible reason as to why he doesn’t hang out with us anymore.”

So saying, he puffed up his chest, proud to have provided the ultimate answer to all their queries regarding Kyungsoo and his lack of hanging out with them. The others, instead of looking satisfied or nodding their heads in agreement, stared at him with identical frowns on their faces.

“Um….but hyung,” Jongin was the one to break the silence. “Kyungsoo hyung never hangs out with any girls.”

“Yeah, Baekkie,” Jongdae piped in as well. “Soo is too much of a chicken to even talk to other people any way. And the only friends he has are us.” He couldn’t help but sound a little proud when he added the last bit.

“You think so?” Baekhyun immediately deflated a little in disappointment of the fact that his guess had turned out wrong, but soon his face lit up with a smile again. “Yeah, you’re right! Girls are too eww, anyway! Kyungsoo is too smart to hang out with dumb girls. He would rather be with us, guys, who are much cooler.”

“Maybe, the reason Kyungsoo doesn’t hang out with us,” Jongdae was the one to speak up next. “Is because his mom doesn’t let him? It’s gonna be exam season soon anyway. Maybe, she wants him to study this time instead of playing with us? Or…or…maybe she hates us now?”

Baekhyun immediately snorted at that. “Oh, please! Auntie Do loves us! She said so herself. And if it was her that wasn’t allowing Kyungsoo to play with us then he would’ve told us instead of rushing away with so many excuses which aren’t even good.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae nodded with a frown. “You’ve got a point.”

“I’ve _always_ got a point,” Baekhyun answered proudly.

Jongdae’s frown deepened. “No, you don’t.”

“I do!”

“Don’t!”

“Um…..” Sehun hesitantly raised his hand. Much to his gratefulness, the older two noticed and stopped bickering in order to listen to him. “Maybe….hyung found new friends? Friends, whom he likes better than us?”

“Na, no _way,_ ” Baekhyun especially stressed on the ‘way’ to make himself sound like he knew the fact. “Soo loves us. There’s no way he would like anyone else more than us.”

“I agree,” Jongdae nodded his head. “Soo wouldn’t leave us even if he found someone else.”

“So then….” Jongin yawned before he continued with what he was saying. “We should just ask hyung tomorrow about what he has been up to, no?”

The meeting was adjourned at that and they were soon too occupied with playing soccer to worry about the Kyungsoo matter. The issue was still there in the back of their sub-consciousness, and that night saw Baekhyun and Jongdae talk to each other on the walkie-talkie, planning on how to make Kyungsoo spill about whatever was taking him away from playing with them.

The next day, after school, before Kyungsoo could bail out on them again and quickly exit the classroom before them, they cornered him. Baekhyun came up to him while he was stowing away his books in his bag and slammed his palm on top of the desk for some dramatic emphasis as well as to get Kyungsoo’s attention. He ended up howling in pain and cradling his hand close to his chest while Jongdae face palmed.

Kyungsoo blinked up at them. “Baekhyun, what are you trying to do?”

“What do you mean, what am I trying to do?” Baekhyun’s eyes were a little teary as he barked out, trying to hide the pain in his voice. “You are the one who has to answer a lot of questions, Soo!”

“What did I do?”

“That’s what we wanna know! What’re you up to?”

 “You’re not making any sense, Baekkie.”

“Baekkie,” Jongdae sighed, pushing the boy behind himself. “Let me talk instead.”

Blatantly ignoring Baekhyun’s protests, Jongdae placed himself in front of a rather confused looking Kyungsoo and frowned a little. “What Baekkie is trying to say is,” he began. “You are not playing with us anymore. You go away home early and your excuses don’t sound real. What are you doing these days that you don’t wanna play with us anymore?”

Kyungsoo pursed up his lips, looking a little guilty. He looked away, trying his hardest not to make eye contact. “I’ve been…..having some work. I was gonna spend today with you guys though.”

“But what is it that you are doing?” Jongdae insisted. “That’s what we wanna know.”

Kyungsoo seemed to consider. He looked a little hesitant before finally letting out a sigh and then looking up at them. “Okay, I’ll tell you then,” he said. “I….made a friend.”

“So, Sehun was right!” Baekhyun immediately wailed. “You did find someone you like more than us!”

Even Jongdae started looking a little hurt and close to betrayed.

“No, no it’s not like that!” Kyungsoo panicked and quickly moved to reassure them. “I….I didn’t want to tell you guys because I thought….I thought you wouldn’t like him.”

“But Soo,” Jongdae began with a frown. “Why wouldn’t we like a friend that you made? Is he a bad guy?”

“No, but,” Kyungsoo stopped, wondering how to explain it. “He is a little different.”

“Different?” Baekhyun was the one to speak this time, between little sniffs. “What do you mean different?”

“He looks like an elf,” Kyungsoo started off seriously. “He totally does. I actually think he might be an elf hiding among us. And he can’t play outside.”

At that both Baekhyun and Jongdae looked at him in the biggest disbelief.

“You are joking,” Jongdae scoffed, being unable to believe that someone existed who didn’t like playing outdoors. “How can someone not like playing outdoors?”

“Yeah!” Baekhyun nodded so hard his hair flew over his eyes. He pushed it away with a huff. “A guy is not a guy if he doesn’t like playing outdoors!”

“It’s not that he doesn’t like playing outdoors,” Kyungsoo corrected. “He can’t. His mom says he is too sick to play outside. If he played outside, he would get sicker. But I think he can’t play outside because he is an elf.”

“Oh,” Jongdae looked thoughtful and then sorry. “Well, it sucks to be him then.”

“I can take you guys to meet him today, if you want,” Kyungsoo offered quietly. “He keeps wanting to meet you both anyway.”

Jongdae immediately grinned and nodded his head while Baekhyun looked grumpy in contrast. “Yeah, I would love to meet him! Wow! Just imagine if he turned out to be a real elf!”

“I don’t like him,” Baekhyun announced, sniffing haughtily. “He took away my Soo. I don’t like anyone who takes away my Soo!”

Jongdae shoved him harshly making him yell out in surprise and indignation. He turned to glare at him and opened his mouth to complain but Jongdae shut him up with a harsher glare and violently indicated towards Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo was looking away, downcast eyes and a miserable pout on his lips. Baekhyun immediately felt his heart drop and hastily cleared his throat.

“But, I guess if Soo likes him,” he said with a forced cheerfulness. “Then maybe I might like him too if I meet him.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae grinned and slapped Kyungsoo’s arm playfully. “Take us to meet him today, Soo. I really wanna see him!”

And so, that particular day, Mrs. Park was met with a pleasant surprise when Kyungsoo brought along with him four other boys who were much more spirited and curious than he himself was. After she got over her initial bewilderment, she easily grinned widely and welcomed them with warm open arms. Then she bustled about talking animatedly and prepared snacks.

Chanyeol was of course, over the _moon._ He’d run out of his room as soon as he’d heard the doorbell ring, thinking it was Kyungsoo, when he found out Kyungsoo had brought even more friends. He immediately let out a squeal when he saw the raven haired boy and enveloped him in a huge hug.

“Kyungsoooooooo!!!” he all but yelled right in the said boy’s ear. “You got more friends!!!!”

Kyungsoo smiled faintly, still unable to get off from the shock of being suddenly bear-hugged by Chanyeol and nodded. Then he somehow pulled away from the over-eager boy’s arms and turned to face the rest of his friends who were all but staring at the other.

“Guys,” Kyungsoo began, albeit a little shakily. “Meet Park Chanyeol, my other friend.”

In response, Chanyeol gave an excited grin and waved his hand like a maniac.

“Those ears,” Jongdae exclaimed. “You really are an elf!”

Kyungsoo froze and turned to look at Chanyeol, equal parts nervous and guilty. He had forgotten to inform the others that Chanyeol didn’t like people making fun of his ears. Chanyeol, as he had feared, looked a little offended, self-consciously touching his ears.

“I’m human,” he began with a slight pout. “And my ears are fine….”

Kyungsoo sent a panicked look at Jongdae who fortunately immediately got the message.

“What I meant to say is,” he hurriedly moved in for damage control. “Your ears are really cool! Elves are too cool and you are lucky you got those ears!”

It was a good thing that it didn’t take much to please Chanyeol because as soon as Jongdae said that, the offended frown seeped out of his face and instead his signature bright smile lit up the entire room. “You really think so? Gee, even Kyungsoo said that! I think you all really like elves!”

“Well, I certainly do,” Jongdae nodded with a grin. “Elves are cool! I wanna be able to shoot arrows like they do.”

“I like elves too,” a shy voice spoke out and Sehun peaked out from behind Jongdae. Chanyeol’s eyes zeroed in on him and he immediately cooed.

“Who is this?” he said with a big smile. “He is so cute!”

“I don’t like elves,” Baekhyun tossed his head and announced snippily, ignoring Jongdae’s glare. “I’m only here because Soo likes you and I like Soo too much to say no to him.”

Chanyeol turned towards him then, eyes widening, and Kyungsoo feared he was going to get offended or worse, hurt. He started thinking that bringing his friends had indeed been a bad idea. Instead, Chanyeol said something that surprised everyone.

“You like Kyungsoo?” his smile, if possible, grew bigger. “I like Kyungsoo too! A lot! Yay! I think we can be good friends then!”

“Chanyeol-ah,” his mom called out just then. “Why don’t you take your friends to your room instead of talking out here in the hallway? I’ll fix you all some snacks soon.”

“Yes, Mom!” Chanyeol answered back and turned to the others with a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you all my room!” And so saying, he walked off, in the front. Jongdae, ever eager, followed soon after. Jongin and Sehun went with him.

Baekhyun was left blinking, a little taken aback by the loud, big-eared boy. He’d come intending to make it clear to Chanyeol that he didn’t like him, and had only agreed to come because of Kyungsoo. He hadn’t expected Chanyeol to react the way he had at all. Kyungsoo, on the way to follow Chanyeol, saw Baekhyun’s state of confusion and smirked.

“He is weird,” he told the confused boy softly. “But he is a good person.”

Baekhyun slowly nodded. “Well……maybe he is not too bad.”

As it turned out, the six of them ended up becoming fast and close friends. Baekhyun forgot his initial animosity and decided he actually liked Park Chanyeol. Much to the amusement of the rest of them, the two grew really close and soon became an almost inseparable pair. Sometimes it made Kyungsoo highly jealous.

Months passed and they grew in their closeness as well as in their age. Baekhyun had been the first to turn 12 even before their summer holidays had started and then Jongdae soon followed. Kyungsoo still had a few more months before he did. Chanyeol turned 12 after Jongdae did but nobody found out because they didn’t know when his birthday was. It was only when December made its presence known by introducing a sharper winter chill in the air and they were finally done with their exams did they find out about his birthday. Racked with guilt, they immediately went to visit him but found the house locked.

“Maybe they went out for a family vacation,” Jongdae suggested. “You know, because exams ended and all.”

“Chanyeol doesn’t go to school,” Kyungsoo stated making Jongdae splutter and look at him enviously.

“Well, maybe they went for a family vacation anyway.”

“Let’s visit him some other day then.” Baekhyun suggested and the rest agreed. They trudged on after that to go to their favorite stall to have hot, freshly made tteokbokki.

 Chanyeol wasn’t seen for the next two weeks. The Park Residence was awfully quite as well. Baekhyun and Jongdae couldn’t go to visit anymore because they were soon gone out of town once more for family vacations. Kyungsoo, however, spent every day wondering about Chanyeol and why there had been no sign of him. He couldn’t bring himself to go to the house next door either because he was never sure if they were even in the house. It was only when Christmas Eve dawned that Kyungsoo, feeling particularly lonely, forced himself to go out of the house and towards the Park Residence, well bundled up in warm clothes and bearing a box of cookies and ginger-bread his mother had baked.

He was half-critical when he stood slightly on his tip-toes to press the doorbell switch (he was a rather short boy) and hence it was a pleasant surprise as well as relief when the door swung open to reveal Mrs. Park.

“Um…Merry Christmas, Auntie,” Kyungsoo greeted, shy as always of the nice lady. “Is….Chanyeol here?”

“Oh, Kyungsoo,” Mrs. Park looked a little surprised on seeing him at first. Then the surprise faded and she started looking sad. She gave a tired smile. “Merry Christmas to you too, honey. Chanyeol….is home, but he can’t see anybody, I’m afraid.”

That resulted in taking aback Kyungsoo as well as confusing him. As far as he remembered, Chanyeol loved visitors. “But….why not?”

“He’s…taken ill. Very ill,” at this, Chanyeol’s mother’s voice cracked a little. Kyungsoo only noticed then how tired she looked. “It always happens during this time of the year. The cold doesn’t agree with him at all. I’m afraid, if you visit him then you might catch the fever too. So….I hope you don’t mind me turning you away just this once, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo would have very much loved to see Chanyeol but he understood what Mrs. Park meant. Often his mother did the same when he caught the flu. She wouldn’t let anyone visit him because she didn’t want his friends getting sick too. “I understand Auntie,” he said nodding his head. Then he held out the box he carried. “My mom sent cookies and ginger bread she baked.”

“Thank you, dear. I’ll be sure to give them to Chanyeol,” Mrs. Park accepted the box gratefully. Then she turned to look at Kyungsoo with the softest expression possible. The smile she gave was so loving and fond that Kyungsoo felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “Thank you, Kyungsoo, for everything. For being my Chanyeol’s friend. You know, you are sweetest boy I have ever met.”

Kyungsoo had no idea how to reply. So, he just gave an equally warm smile (to his surprise, it came naturally), thanked her back and wished her Merry Christmas once more.

Mrs. Park’s words stayed with him for a long time.

………………………………

Kyungsoo’s birthday came in January. Like always, his parents threw him a small and simple party and the only people invited were his small group of friends. Minus Park Chanyeol. When Kyungsoo had gone to invite him over, Mrs. Park had revealed that he was still sick and given him a sad, apologetic smile. It surprised and worried Kyungsoo that the boy was sick for so long. And that thought stuck to him for the rest of the evening, making him unable to enjoy his birthday like he was supposed to.

“You look awfully unhappy for someone who just turned 12,” Jongdae commented when they were playing a game of charades and Kyungsoo was zoned out throughout the game. “Come on, Soo! Smile a little! You’re close to being an adult too!”

“Is anything the matter, hyung?” Sehun, despite being the youngest, was the most perceptive out of them all. “You look very worried about something.”

“It’s Chanyeol, right?” Baekhyun spoke up, surprising Kyungsoo so much that he snapped out of his moping and turned to stare at his best friend. “Chanyeol is the only person you would worry this much about other than us. Plus he has been M.I.A for the whole winter break. I’d like to know what that brat’s been up to, avoiding us like this and making Soo so worried!”

“He isn’t avoiding us on purpose,” Kyungsoo spoke softly. “He has been sick. For almost two months straight.”

A sudden silence descended upon the small group. Kyungsoo looked up to see all of his friend staring at him.

“Sick for two months?” Jongdae repeated. “But…that’s not normal.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just a bluff?” Baekhyun asked cautiously.

Kyungsoo shook his head. “Auntie looked too tired and sad to be bluffing. I think it’s real.”

“Maybe,” Jongin began thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s what Auntie meant when she said hyung couldn’t play outside. Because he gets serious illnesses like these. Maybe….it's worse than we thought.”

Silence descended on the small group once again. Kyungsoo suddenly felt afraid for their friend. He would be alright, wouldn’t he?

“I like Chanyeol hyung,” quiet, shy Sehun suddenly piped up, confident and determined and took the rest of the group by surprise. “I really like Chanyeol hyung. I want to do something to help him.”

The rest of his friends stared at him in awed silence. Until Jongin got a pouty, borderline jealous look on his face.

“So, you like Chanyeol hyung more than me?” he accused.

Sehun’s face turned pink at that while the rest of them burst out laughing as the youngest hastily moved to assure a sulky Jongin that that wasn’t so and Jongin was still his favorite best friend. It lightened the mood a little but Kyungsoo couldn’t help but keep worrying about Chanyeol. He decided he would go to visit the boy as soon as he found out he had gotten better.

The rest of January passed and Chanyeol didn’t seem to get better. Kyungsoo thought he had probably made Mrs. Park annoyed by going to her almost frequently to ask if Chanyeol had gotten better. It was mid-February and Kyungsoo was close to giving up. He decided he would try one last time and trudged half-heartedly to the house next door. Before he could even lift his hand to ring the doorbell though, the door swung open and he came face to face with a girl who looked exactly the same as Chanyeol. She looked older though, probably a teenager.

The girl stared at Kyungsoo for a few seconds before she turned to shout something down the hallway.

“Mum!” she hollered. “The Kyungsoo kid is at the door.”

Kyungsoo wondered how she knew his name. As far as he knew, he had never met her. But he knew who she was. “Um,” he began, hesitant and awkward. “Are you Yoora Noona?”

The girl, Yoora, looked pretty surprised. “So, Yeol told you about me?” she then smiled at him for the first time. “He tells me a lot about you too.”

_Oh_. That was all Kyungsoo thought.

“I was actually on my way to your home, Kyungsoo,” Yoora continued, taking Kyungsoo by surprise. “Mum says you’ve been coming to inquire about Yeollie’s health almost every day so she thinks it’s only fair that she told you he has recovered enough to have visitors now.”

At that piece of news, Kyungsoo felt his face immediately light up. A smile involuntarily made to his lips. “Can I go see him then?” he all but whispered, a little giddy from how relieved he was feeling.

“You really like my brother a lot, don’t you?” Yoora shot him an amused smile before it softened a little. “That’s good. Chanyeol needs other friends apart from just me. And you seem like a really good kid. I like you.”

Yoora’s words made a strange sort of warm fuzzy feeling rise up in Kyungsoo insides and he was at a loss as to how to answer her. So he just stuck to giving a shy smile and bowing his head a little.

This time, Yoora burst out laughing at him, not unkindly though. She ruffled his hair in an almost sisterly manner. “You are cute too,” she grinned at his surprised and abashed look and motioned for him to follow her. “Come on, I’ll take you to Yeol.”

Chanyeol looked thinner and paler than the last time Kyungsoo had seen him. He seemed perpetually exhausted too, lying on his bed with a navy blue duvet pulled up till his chin and eyes a little hooded and rimmed with dark circles. He still sat up when Kyungsoo entered though and smiled the signature wide grin that showed all his perfectly straight teeth and made his ears seem to stick out even more.

“Kyungsoo!” his voice rasped a little and Kyungsoo winced. “I missed you so much! And I am so sorry I couldn’t come for your birthday. I am such a horrible best friend.”

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo hadn’t realized when a lump had pushed its way in and lodged a temporary home in his throat but it was there now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to say another word without bursting into tears. Kyungsoo wasn’t the most emotional child, but right now, seeing Chanyeol look so sick yet still apologize for not being able to make it to the birthday that was a month ago, even to the point of calling himself a bad friend, wrung his heart till it ached. Before he knew it, his feet had moved on their own accord and he found himself tightly hugging the sick elfish boy who squawked in surprise.

“I’m glad,” Kyungsoo found himself whispering and blinking back tears. “I’m glad you are alright now. I missed you too.”

He felt Chanyeol relax against him and warmly hug him back. “I’m here, Soo,” the older whispered fondly. “I’m still here.”

And it was then that Kyungsoo realized that he had been afraid. So afraid. Afraid that maybe Chanyeol would never get better. Afraid that maybe Kyungsoo would never see him again. Afraid of so many terrible things. And now he almost cried in relief. Chanyeol was alright now. He was getting better. He was still there. He was still Kyungsoo’s friend.

_I’m here, Soo._

Kyungsoo realized that he never ever wanted to lose Park Chanyeol.

.................................

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that explained a little about Chanyeol's condition. I will reveal it in later chapters what exactly is wrong with him, I promise. Having said that, I hoped you liked this chapter. And about why Kyungsoo and the others are so hung up on elves, well I guess 11-12 is the age where we love fantasies and stuff even if we know they aren't true. Or at least we did when me and my friends were that age. Or I guess it was just us.^^; Anyway, I hope it wasn't too weird or anything.  
> Thank you to everyone who have read and supported this. And as always, your kudos and support is what keeps me going.


	4. Friendship and Mix-tapes

Days passed and then years, and Kyungsoo’s friendship with the boy next door never wavered in the slightest. He had grown accustomed to Chanyeol’s every quirk and every habit, and in turn, Chanyeol knew him so well by now that sometimes he could read him like an open book. Kyungsoo didn’t mind. He probably even trusted Park Chanyeol with his entire life.

It wasn’t just Kyungsoo whose friendship got stronger with Chanyeol. Baekhyun and Jongdae, and even Jongin and Sehun despite being two years younger, grew extremely close with the big-eared lovable boy. The six of them spent almost all of their time together and they now invaded the Park Residence without even having to ring the doorbell. Mrs. Park as well as Yoora always kept the door open for them. Chanyeol’s health rapidly improved and he got physically stronger. Eventually, his mother started allowing him to go on short outings with his friends. He still didn’t go to school, however. And he still fell sick every time winter knocked at the door. It, however, wasn’t as bad as it used to be.

Then puberty hit all of them and they all went through some drastic character changes. Kyungsoo had always been a rather shy kid but then he became even more reclusive and socially inactive. Formerly, a kid who loved the outdoors, he started preferring staying indoors more now. While he didn’t grow very tall, his voice deepened the earliest out of them all. He developed a bad case of astigmatism and took to wearing glasses. Fortunately, acne never hit him too hard.

Baekhyun retained his chirpy nature but seemed to grow even more rambunctious. Unlike Kyungsoo, he got a case of acne which bothered him greatly because he had suddenly started to care a lot about his looks. He didn’t grow much in height either but he started losing a little of his baby fat and grew to be quite striking. He also developed a huge interest in girls and flirted a lot when he realized he was quite good at being charming.

Jongdae grew a little whinier and a lot more affectionate. Unlike both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, he lost his baby fat completely and developed a handsome and chiseled face. Unfortunately, like both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, he didn’t grow very tall either.

Chanyeol’s growth spurt was the most drastic out of them all. While his childish happy personality didn’t change all that much, he shot up like a bean sprout. Suddenly, he was a head taller than all of them. His voice deepened early too, and it deepened much more than Kyungsoo’s did. His jawline developed well, and he was now an unexpectedly handsome teenager and not a gangly sickly looking child with big ears. His interests in anime changed and now he preferred One Piece over Dragon Ball. His music tastes changed too and now he gravitated more towards rock.

Kyungsoo was fifteen and in his last year of middle school when Baekhyun got his first girlfriend. Jongdae got one soon after, only a few months after Baekhyun did. Kyungsoo was also fifteen when he realized that he was different. That he didn’t feel that way for girls but, preferred guys instead. It was his secret to keep though, because he was scared. He didn’t know if his friends would accept him.

Baekhyun spent much of his free time taking his girlfriend, whom he absolutely adored, on dates and hence didn’t hang out as much as he used to with Kyungsoo and Jongdae. Jongin and Sehun had almost completely stopped hanging out with them because they had found a friend group of their own. While Jongdae also had a girlfriend of his own he still found some time for Kyungsoo and then the both of them would sit and complain endlessly about their other best friend. Sometimes Chanyeol would be there and he would laugh at Jongdae’s near-endless whines about how Baekhyun was breaking the bro-code and that him finding a girlfriend had been a mistake.

During those months, Kyungsoo found himself spending the most time with Chanyeol alone, when in the past the six of them had been a squad. It kind of made him miss the older times, but at the same time Kyungsoo liked spending time with Chanyeol alone. Chanyeol was as talkative as always and he still watched a lot of anime. But there was something about him that had grown wiser even if he had never lost his childish touch. Kyungsoo found talking with Chanyeol enlightening and fun.

“Where’re Baekhyun and Jongdae?” was the first question Chanyeol asked when one particular day, Kyungsoo decided to invite himself into the Park Household without prior information, bearing home-made kimbap for the whole family (Kyungsoo had begun considering that family his own). “I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

Chanyeol was elated of course whenever Kyungsoo dropped in to see him, but he often wondered about the rest of them too. He missed their little group and he wished they could be together and have fun just like the older times.

Kyungsoo, in answer rolled his eyes as he made himself comfortable on Chanyeol’s bed. “Baekhyun’s serenading his girlfriend, of course! Took her on a date again, to some amusement park or something,” he sighed exaggeratedly. “That guy’s already forgotten us, I’m sure.”

Chanyeol, in return, laughed heartily. “Well, he is certainly enjoying himself, as far as I can see! Good for him.”

“Jongdae informed me he has taken up a vocal workshop,” Kyungsoo continued. “He’s planning to take part in our school’s end-of-the-year musical so he’s already started preparations. He apologized for not being able to meet you.”

That sparked Chanyeol’s interest and he leaned forward in excitement. “Really? That’s so great!” he gushed. “I really wanna see him sing live. Jongdae’s an amazing singer anyway.”

Kyungsoo knew that Chanyeol loved music and had a deep interest in it. He smiled at the excited boy. “Maybe I can smuggle in an invitation of the year-end musical for you,” he suggested with a playful wink. “Then you can attend it too and tell everyone that you were invited.”

“You’d do that?” Chanyeol laughed in glee and playfully slapped his friend’s arm. “You are the best, Kyungsoo!”

There were times Kyungsoo felt a strange something bubble up in the pits of his stomach whenever Chanyeol smiled at him that way. He could never exactly place a name on what kind of feeling that was. Just that it felt good, and at the same time, terrifying. That feeling rose again when Chanyeol’s hand came in contact with his arm and he ended up staring at his friend longer than he had intended.

“Uh, thank you?” he stuttered, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

Thankfully, Chanyeol didn’t seem to notice. Or even if he did, he didn’t let it show. Instead he smiled brightly at Kyungsoo once again and proceeded on with the next question. “And what about Jongin and Sehun? I haven’t seen them for even longer. How are they both doing?”

“Jongin and Sehun are doing great,” Kyungsoo smirked a little. “From what Jongdae told me, since they’ve both grown as well, almost all girls in their class _swoon_ over them. They are considered ulzzangs throughout the entire school. While Sehun is hopeless with girls, apparently Jongin’s already taken one or two out in dates.”

“No way!” Chanyeol gave a surprised laugh. “The kids are grown up too! Man, they all sound like they are enjoying their youths. What about you, Kyungsoo? Don’t you have a girlfriend as well?”

Kyungsoo froze at that. He contemplated whether to tell his friend about his preferences. While he trusted him almost blindly, he was scared that Chanyeol might be repulsed. Because liking men wasn’t considered normal after all. And so, for once he decided to lie.

“No, I don’t” Kyungsoo answered with a small smile. “I haven’t found a girl that I like yet.”

Chanyeol gave him a curious look and Kyungsoo froze again. They’d been good friends for quite some time now and Chanyeol was especially good at reading him. Kyungsoo very much feared that Chanyeol already knew the truth.

“Alright,” Chanyeol said instead and smiled. “I’m pretty sure you’ll find your match soon. You’re just as good looking as the rest of them.”

Kyungsoo felt himself heat up at the compliment and looked away. “Don’t be an idiot.”

“Aw!! Are you shy?” Chanyeol laughed teasingly. Then his smile softened and he turned to gaze out of the window, blue and white striped curtains billowing pleasantly in the summer breeze. “Ah, youth! The time for people to fall in love and go on dates. How I wish I had someone too, that I could serenade with my guitar and the songs I’ve made, and spoil rotten with dates and desserts. Ah, Baekhyun and Jongdae are lucky!”

Kyungsoo stared at his friend. He thought Chanyeol looked especially pretty when the breeze played with his rich brown curls and he had that small smile on his lips, the one that revealed the tiny dimple on his cheek and spoke volumes of his mood. Kyungsoo’s eyes took in the tiny mole that was on the tip of his nose that somehow made him look so much cuter. He looked good, he thought. Chanyeol looked really good. If he went to school, he would have several girls giving him their numbers the very next day. Chanyeol was that easy to like, both look and personality wise.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat when he realized he was starting to be a little creepy. ”You are quite the romantic, aren’t you?” he told Chanyeol nonchalantly instead.

Chanyeol chuckled. “Of course, what do you expect? I’m a musician after all. All musicians are romantics.”

“Bah,” Kyungsoo teased. “You aren’t all that good enough to call yourself a musician yet.”

“Hey!”

They both burst out laughing and then lapsed into silence once more. But the silence was welcome, far from uncomfortable. They often had silent moments like these and neither minded it in anyway.

Kyungsoo found himself thinking back to what Chanyeol had said. About going on dates and falling in love. He sneakily looked at the boy to find him staring out of the window again, this time with a wistful expression gracing his face. It was the same expression he’d worn years ago when they’d first become friends, when he’d expressed his wish of being able to play outdoors. And just like that time, Kyungsoo found himself hating that look.

“If you want,” he began speaking before he could stop himself. “We can go on a date. Someday. The both of us.” Then Kyungsoo realized what he had just said and slapped his hand over his mouth in horror. What had he done? What an idiotic thing to say! If Chanyeol hadn’t realized his secret earlier, he definitely knew now. Kyungsoo silently cursed himself in the worst ways possible.

“You know, never mind,” he spoke hastily. “Forget what I just said.”

Chanyeol gave him a curious look once again before bursting out into hearty laughter. “Oh, Soo!” he said, his eyes crinkled from the smile he wore. “That’s so cute! Alright, I’ll take you up on that! You better not go back on your word though.”

Kyungsoo looked at him in utter surprise. So, he hadn’t realized? His tension dissipated and he found himself smiling widely too. “I never go back on my word.”

And Chanyeol ended up laughing again. “Please don’t use Naruto’s dialogue. It doesn’t suit you at all!”

Kyungsoo, fake frowned, acting like he was offended. “Why ever not? I’m as charismatic and brave as Naruto is.”

“Are you kidding me?! Of course, you aren’t!”

It was when Kyungsoo was at the Park Residence’s entrance and putting on his shoes to head home for the day Chanyeol pulled him into an unexpected embrace and completely surprised him.

“You don’t need to be afraid of me judging you, you know. You’re my best friend, Soo,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft as he said that. He gave Kyungsoo his fondest smile when the other gasped and looked at him with emotion. “I’ll be looking forward to that date.”

As Kyungsoo thoughtfully trudged back towards his home, he felt himself go warm at the thought of Chanyeol hugging him and telling him to not be afraid. Chanyeol knew his secret and didn’t judge him for it. Kyungsoo couldn’t have felt happier. Then he thought about the promised date and felt himself blush. He was looking forward to it more than Chanyeol was.

Do Kyungsoo was fifteen when he realized one summer afternoon that he was falling for his best friend.

…………………

Summer passed quickly and soon they all got busy preparing for their final exams. It was their final year of Middle School after all. The small group of friends met up very little as all of them drowned in notes, memorizing and also complaining in despair as to how the given subject portions for their exams refused to finish no matter how much they studied.

On November 27th, however, they took a break from studying and trooped together to the Park Residence as they usually did for Chanyeol’s birthday. Mrs. Park threw a small party but whipped up a meal huge enough to feed an entire army. Not to mention the sheer deliciousness of every dish she had cooked. Chanyeol’s friends felt like they were in food heaven while Kyungsoo, who had taken an interest in cooking, tried learning about all the recipes Mrs. Park had used in making the meal. Mrs. Park was only too happy to teach him.

“Ugh! I’m so full,” Baekhyun groaned contentedly as he flopped down on Chanyeol’s bed once they were all crowded into his room after the meal had come to an end. “Your mom is a complete angel!”

“I know,” Chanyeol hummed happily, rocking back and forth on the only chair in the room he was seated on.

Chanyeol’s room was still their favorite hangout spot where the six of them would make a tradition of meeting up. At the moment, since they were bigger and taller than they used to be, the small room felt rather cramped. While Chanyeol occupied the lone swiveling chair, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Jongin and Kyungsoo were somehow squished together on the bed. Sehun sat on the floor next to Chanyeol’s chair.

“Hyung,” Sehun was the one talking this time. He and Jongin had also grown in their own ways. Both were surprisingly tall. Jongin was even taller than his older brother now, much to Jongdae’s chagrin. “Why don’t you open the gifts you received? I’m really curious about them.”

“Yeah!” Baekhyun sat up suddenly, his eyes shining in excitement. “Open ‘em, Yeol! You better open mine first! I bet my money that you will absolutely love mine.”

After that immediately the group launched into a squabble as to whose gift Chanyeol should open first. While Baekhyun insisted that his gift was definitely the best and was the worthiest of being opened first, Jongdae heartily disagreed. His reasoning to it was the fact that Baekhyun had broken the bro-code and hung out more with his girlfriend than with his friends, which Kyungsoo immediately agreed with and supported. More whining from Baekhyun followed, along with more accusations from Jongdae and Kyungsoo before Chanyeol cut through, saying he was going to open Sehun’s gift first, since the youngest had been the one who had suggested opening the gifts in the first place.

“It’s nothing much,” Sehun laughed awkwardly, handing the gift to Chanyeol who immediately started unwrapping it as soon as his fingers touched the covers. The moment the wrapping was safely out of the way, and the contents peaked out, Chanyeol gave a yell of excitement and held up two Marvel comics.

“Sehun,” he began in utmost excitement and thankfulness. “What do you even mean this is nothing much? This is the best gift I could ask for! Thank you so much!”

Sehun gave an embarrassed laugh in response. But his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were shining. Kyungsoo smiled. Maybe out of them all Sehun was the fondest of Chanyeol. Being a single child himself, Sehun looked up to the older like a brother. Kyungsoo knew that a compliment like this meant a lot to him, even though he tried to act like it was no big deal.

“Now open mine, Yeollie!” Baekhyun was bouncing up and down on the bed in his excitement. “Open. Mine!!!”

In answer, Chanyeol stuck his tongue out at the other. He was still such a child. “I’m opening Nini’s gift next.”

Baekhyun was about to open his mouth to complain before something struck his mind and he grinned widely. “Aw! How nice of you, Yeollie!” he cooed. “You plan on opening my gift last because you love me best!”

“Dream on,” Chanyeol wasn’t even looking at Baekhyun as he said that, already beginning to unwrap Jongin’s gift. “I’m saving Kyungsoo’s gift for last because I like him best.”

At that Kyungsoo felt a tingly sort of warmth rise up inside him, while Baekhyun gasped and complained something about “blatant favoritism”. Kyungsoo fervently hoped his cheeks weren’t red as well. After discovering the feelings he had developed for the boy, he had been hyper-aware of everything that Chanyeol did or said. So, whenever Chanyeol said anything related to him, Kyungsoo felt himself react to it involuntarily.

Jongin’s gift turned out to be a simple snap-back hat but Chanyeol was as delighted with it as he had been with Sehun’s gift. He thanked the shy second-youngest of their group profusely and immediately proceeded to wear the hat. Blatantly ignoring Baekhyun’s wails to open his gift next, he started unwrapping Jongdae’s which was a book on guitar notations of well-known classic rock songs. Chanyeol liked the gift so much that he immediately launched himself on Jongdae and wrapped him in a bear hug, despite the other’s protests.

“Now that all the gifts, minus Kyungsoo’s and mine, have been opened, you’ve got no choice but to open mine,” Baekhyun grumbled once the birthday boy was back on his chair. “I swear you’ll like it, Yeol! I’m not kidding at all!”

“It better be something good,” Chanyeol muttered as he struggled a little to pull apart the messily-wrapped gift paper. When he did succeed in ripping away the glitzy material which had an annoying amount of layers and reached the actual gift, he gasped and nearly dropped it.

“Baekhyun!” he exclaimed, scandalized, at the said guy who had an extremely mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You are crazy!”

“I told you that you’ll like it,” Baekhyun said instead in glee.

“What did he give you?” curious, Jongdae leaned over to look at the item that Chanyeol was holding and immediately burst out laughing. At Jongdae’s reaction, the rest of them got immediately curious and tried to crowd around just to see what the gift was about.

“He gave me porn!” Chanyeol’s voice was a harsh whisper as he held out the scandalous magazine for everyone to see. Sehun and Jongin joined Jongdae who was still shaking in laughter. Kyungsoo gave a faintly amused smile. “He is absolutely completely nuts!”

“Oh, come on, Park!” scoffed Baekhyun. “Don’t act like you’ve never watched porn. I know you have a collection of hentai CDs stashed away somewhere.”

Chanyeol immediately flushed, and Kyungsoo’s breath hitched again (he thought Chanyeol looked really pretty when he blushed). “Yeah, but you know magazines are so much harder to hide!” he complained. “My mom’s gonna disown me if she ever finds this! Even Noona would never help me then, and she is my biggest ally! Damn it, Baekhyun, you could’ve just given me a CD!”

“So you admit it that you liked my gift!” Baekhyun exclaimed, mischievously happy, and the rest laughed even harder. “I love you, Park Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol threw up his hands in defeat and groaned. “Baekhyun, you’re just hopeless!”

“Hyung,” Sehun was still chuckling a little and wiping away tears of mirth when he spoke. “Can we go through it?”

Chanyeol stared at the youngest before promptly turning the ridiculous magazine upside-down. He flinched when the back cover had an equally provoking image printed on it. “Only after we are done with all the gifts.”

“There’s only Kyungsoo hyung’s gift left,” Jongin stated. Even he kept giving the magazine eagle-eyed stares. “Hurry up and open it, so that we can go through the mag in peace.”

Sighing and shaking his head a little, Chanyeol proceeded on with the next gift. Kyungsoo caught his breath as he watched the other undoing the wrapping paper little by little. He was apprehensive of whether his friend would like the gift or not. He hadn’t exactly spent any money on it, but he had put a lot of effort in making it. He just hoped Chanyeol liked it enough.

When Chanyeol finally got rid of the wrappings and opened the box, he didn’t yell out or exclaim excitedly as he’d done for the other gifts. Kyungsoo nearly lost his composed self, he was so nervous. Why wasn’t Chanyeol reacting? Did he not like the gift? Right when that thought crossed the nervous boy’s head, the other put his hand into the box and pulled out a slim plastic case containing a CD.

“What’s that?” Baekhyun’s obnoxious voice immediately piped up before Chanyeol could utter a word. “Hentai? Soo, did you get him hentai?”

“It’s a mix-tape,” Kyungsoo answered, shooting Baekhyun an irritated look. “It’s something I made. It has covers of some of my most favorite songs.”

It wasn’t just that only, he thought to himself. The songs were carefully selected out, a lot of thought put into the lyrics and the genres. Unlike Chanyeol who was a genius in making his own songs, Kyungsoo was hopeless at composing. While there were times he came up with rather good words and lyrics, tunes never came to him. Kyungsoo, hence, preferred reading the lyrics of other songs and analyzing the meanings behind them. In many ways, the mix-tape was a piece of his own heart. Kyungsoo was basically handing out his confession to Park Chanyeol, concealed as well as revealed through the words of others.

“Soo,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft when he took the name. He looked up and Kyungsoo saw his friend’s eyes sparkle and cheeks take a pretty rosy tint. The look he gave him was so incredibly fond that Kyungsoo wanted to duck and hide because it was just so overwhelming. “This means a lot. Thank you so much.”

Kyungsoo narrowly stopped himself from gasping out loud. He was terrified at the same time hopeful. Did Chanyeol catch on to his intentions behind the mix-tape so quickly? That wasn’t possible, was it?

“A mix-tape?” Baekhyun frowned. “Why are you getting so emotional over it then, Yeol? Is it difficult to get mix-tapes?”

Jongdae shook his head in exasperation. “No, silly, that’s not what Chanyeol meant.” He began explaining. “Mix-tape usually mean a lot because the songs are selected thoughtfully and often consist of the maker’s favorites. Like sharing what you genuinely love with someone else. I can’t exactly explain it but….”      

“You share many things through music,” Chanyeol continued when Jongdae faltered. “Consider making a mix-tape as sharing a deep part of yourself. And especially for Kyungsoo to give me a mix-tape…..I don’t know but it’s like he is trusting me with a very important part of himself. And….that makes me really happy.”

Kyungsoo exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding. So Chanyeol hadn’t yet guessed the actual meaning behind the mix-tape yet. That was good. He wanted the older to take his own sweet time and figure out the meaning of the mix-tape. Right now wasn’t a good time to discover feelings, not when there were so many people there to witness what was so private to Kyungsoo.

“Thank you,” Chanyeol said again as he placed the mix-tape on his desk carefully like it was the most precious thing in the entire world. “My CD player is broken at the moment though. Once it gets repaired, I swear I will listen to it well.”

And as Chanyeol turned to give him another smile, Kyungsoo felt his heart skip a beat or two. He was in trouble. For Kyungsoo found himself falling deeper and deeper for his best friend, and he knew that soon he wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore.

……………………………………

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments, kudos and love keep me going! <3 I hope you guys liked this chapter, XOXO


	5. High School and Coffee Dates

Days flew by and before they could even properly register it, Kyungsoo and the others had finished with their finals. Even graduation day arrived in the blink of an eye and soon they were applying for the high-school close to their neighbourhood.

It was one afternoon when they were all hanging out in the Park Residence as usual and sitting around in the living room chatting with Yoora and Mrs. Park, Chanyeol stood up and announced his desire to go to high school. After the initial surprise had passed, Mrs. Park started looking hesitant, clearly worried about her son’s erratic health but Chanyeol assured her repeatedly that everything would be fine.

“Mom, I’m getting much better now,” he assured her, patient and calm, very unlike the boisterous and overly enthusiastic person he usually was. “Don’t you think it would be better for me to actually experience something normal like going to school, so that I would be able to support myself better in the future? I can’t always keep depending on you and Noona.”

Chanyeol was wise, Kyungsoo thought. Childish, sometimes whiney and rather overwhelming overall. But he was wise and so understanding. The way he patiently assured his mother over and over again that he would take good care of himself and that she didn’t need to worry about him until she agreed to give him her consent, the way his eyes sparkled and he hugged her tight while exclaiming that she was the best person on earth and the way he turned to them and grinned widely, holding up a thumbs up while they cheered, struck Kyungsoo again with the fact that Chanyeol was such an amazing person. Kyungsoo found himself staring at the bright eyed, smiley boy with awe. He realized how much he admired the boy. And he realized how much more he liked him.

And so, that year when they all started High school, wearing crisp new uniforms and already making resolutions as to how to make the best beginning in their new world, Kyungsoo’s usual group of three including himself had a fourth member when they entered through the big iron gates of their school for the first time, chattering all throughout and walking towards the building.

Most of the faces in their new class were familiar. It was a small neighbourhood and that was one of the only good High Schools around. So, most of the people Kyungsoo and the rest had seen or known back in their Middle School were also there. They, on the other hand, were curious to see Chanyeol because he was the only new face hanging out with three familiar and pretty well-known faces. Kyungsoo had been right when he’d guessed that Chanyeol would be well liked and received because the first day was hardly over and soon he had a hoard of people hovering around him, chattering, throwing questions and wanting to know him better. And Chanyeol responded to all of them warmly, an excited sparkle in his eyes. It was the first time he was experiencing something like this after all.

“Man, just look at how popular Chanyeol is already,” Baekhyun mused, smiling softly as he stared on at the said guy who was happily chatting away with a group of people. “I’m kinda proud that I’m his friend.”

“I’m happy for him,” Jongdae commented with an equally fond smile. “He deserves this after being stuck inside his house for so long.”

Kyungsoo found that he couldn’t completely agree with his friends. While he was happy that Chanyeol was finally being able to do what he’d always wanted to do and even more thrilled about the fact that they were both attending the same school as well as classes together, he couldn’t help but feel stings of jealousy when he saw him talking so happily with the other people. If he were to be honest with himself, Kyungsoo would say that he was scared. Scared that Chanyeol would drift and find someone better to hang out with. Scared that Chanyeol might end up liking back one of the girls who were sending him furtive glances and giggling and trying to catch his eye. Kyungsoo was scared of Chanyeol finding a girlfriend. Because then, Kyungsoo knew that he would be nursing his biggest heartbreak and be unable to be a normal friend around Chanyeol anymore.

Chanyeol instead stuck to the three of them like glue and refused to hang out with anyone else. Yes, he was friendly with almost the whole school, even the teachers and the janitors, but that was just who he was. His loyalties stayed unchanged and he chose to stay with the three of them all throughout, even when some of the most popular guys and girls approached him to be his friend. It greatly touched not just Kyungsoo, but Baekhyun and Jongdae as well.

The proof of how strong their bond had become came when Baekhyun experienced his first break-up. As flighty as the boy had seemed, he had actually been extremely devoted to his girlfriend. So when she suddenly decided she just didn’t want to be with him anymore and walked away without letting him have a single say, Baekhyun questioned where he had gone wrong. It close to devastated him and he went through a period of extreme self-doubt and self-loathing. During that time, his three friends were with him constantly and helped him through the horrible break-up. Baekhyun didn’t know how he would’ve survived without Jongdae’s annoying ‘I told you so’ but yet his unfaltering support and strong presence. Jongdae, Baekhyun realized, was the sturdiest pillar of strength, without whom he would’ve surely crumbled. Chanyeol, the most emotional out of them all, was another support system in the form of an outlet for Baekhyun to cry to and let it out whenever he felt like it. Baekhyun noted with amusement that Chanyeol always cried along with him; that guy had too big of a heart that made him feel a bit too much. But surprisingly, that helped Baekhyun better to let go of his negative feelings through tears. Kyungsoo, was always the quietest and most emotionally withdrawn among them but he helped Baekhyun heal through soft special smiles that he knew was reserved for the three of them only, and by bringing him home-made food he had cooked himself whenever Baekhyun didn’t eat properly. Baekhyun thought he was the luckiest person in the world to have friends such as them. Their bond only grew more after that.

High School also meant romantic drama and Chanyeol’s friends realized how much of it was centered on the said guy. Girls were _drawn_ to Chanyeol like moths to a flame. Not a single day went without him discovering some sort of love confession in the forms of innocent chits of paper, scribbles on his notebooks or desk, love letters pushed inside his locker and so many more. Some of them were bolder, like writing confessions to Park Chanyeol in huge letters with colourful chalk on every blackboard in every classroom or a random girl actually appearing in front of him to either hand a box full of chocolates or demanding him his phone number. One of them even went as far as using the school’s PA system to announce her love for the guy. It both greatly embarrassed Chanyeol and made him feel strangely happy in a way.

“Why don’t you accept one of them and have a girlfriend?” Jongdae stated one day when they were all sitting in their usual spot on the roof of the school and sharing lunch. “You know, live your life a little. You did miss out a lot on childhood when you had to stay at home only.”

Kyungsoo froze at Jongdae’s statement and hastily tried to go back to acting normal. His hand trembled a little when he lifted his chopsticks to pop a piece of meat in his mouth.

“Yeah, dude!” Baekhyun piped up next, putting his chopsticks down and staring expectantly at his friend. “You could easily date one of em. All the girls adore you so much that I bet they even have a secret fan club for you!”

Kyungsoo’s heart dropped till the pits of his stomach. Even Baekhyun supported the idea of their friend dating. Then was he the only one who was being a bad friend and wishing on keeping Chanyeol from happiness? Did Chanyeol want to date? He lifted his gaze and looked at the latter to see him sitting and contemplating.

“A girlfriend would be cool,” Chanyeol began and Kyungsoo felt his heart sink even deeper. “I’ve always wanted to take someone out on dates anyway. It sounds like so much fun.”

“Then what’s stopping you?” Jongdae pressed.

_Please stop. I beg you._

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol shrugged and went back to eating. “None of them seemed like my type. And I don’t really wanna date just for fun either. I wanna really like someone before I decide to date them.”

Kyungsoo exhaled the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He felt relieved. Chanyeol wasn’t keen on dating, if at least for now. That was enough to make Kyungsoo happy for the moment, even though he was still scared that Chanyeol would find someone sooner or later that he decided he liked and started dating. But for the moment, Chanyeol was still theirs. _His._

“Ah, I see!” Jongdae grinned, wide and catlike. “So, you are choosier and have higher standards than we initially thought. That’s good, unlike a certain someone I know.”

The last statement he directed at Baekhyun who sputtered on his banana milk shake and shot out an extremely indignant ‘hey!’

“But wanting to date someone only if you actually loved them? Damn, that’s romantic, Park Chanyeol!”

“Yeah well,” Chanyeol then turned and smirked at Jongdae. “All musicians are romantic.”

That dialogue reminded Kyungsoo of the conversation they once had in Chanyeol’s room about dating and Chanyeol had expressed his desire to go on a date. Kyungsoo remembered the promise he had made about taking him on one and almost involuntarily felt himself heat up. He sent his unsuspecting friend a quick glance. Did Chanyeol forget about it or did he still remember it?

While they were heading down the stairs after lunch in order to get back to class, Kyungsoo grabbed Chanyeol’s shirt sleeve causing him to stop and look at him questioningly.

“Is something wrong, Kyungsoo?” he asked, tilting his head a little to the side like he always did when he was confused.

Kyungsoo shook his head. “You remember we once talked in your room and you said you really wanted to go on a date?”

“And?” Chanyeol’s lips were stretched slightly into a small smile, like he already knew what was coming next. Kyungsoo’s face suddenly felt too hot. “What about it?”

“I…..I made a promise too.”

Chanyeol’s smile grew wider as he waited for Kyungsoo to continue.

“I….I mean, we c…could go on that promised date tomorrow. It’s a Saturday,” Kyungsoo suddenly found the wall next to him very interesting to look at. “Of course, only if you are willing to and…and if you are free.”

Chanyeol finally let out a laugh and hit his arm in the friendly way. “A date it is then! I can’t wait for tomorrow already!”

Shooting his signature wide grin one last time, the taller of the two turned and started heading down the stairs once more.

Chanyeol’s ‘friendly’ hits hurt a lot, Kyungsoo thought. Maybe it was because the older had such huge hands. But Kyungsoo could clearly register his cheeks hurting more than his arm because he was smiling just so much.

…………………………………..

When the time for the date did arrive however, Kyungsoo wasn’t smiling. He was a terrible bundle of nerves and found himself combing his hair at least ten times just to soothe himself. When he was finally able to decide that what he wore and the way he styled his hair made him look good enough, he bounded down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own legs in the middle and made out of the front door after calling out a loud goodbye to his mother.

Chanyeol was already waiting outside the Do household, leaning against the wall and playing some sort of game on his cell phone. He was dressed casually in a light blue-checkered button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up till his elbows and grey jeans with Converse sneakers. His usually unruly wavy hair was slicked back neatly and showed his forehead. When he heard Kyungsoo practically run out of the house, he looked up and grinned his usual bright sunny grin.

Kyungsoo suddenly forgot how to breathe. Chanyeol had an unparalleled love for baggy pants and over-sized t-shirts, hoodies and sweaters of all manners and that was all Kyungsoo had ever seen him in (apart from their school uniform which also somehow managed to make Chanyeol look even more handsome than he already was). Not to mention his hair was always messy, a tad too long and brushing over his eyebrows. Seeing him in something other than baggy clothes and messy hair, and looking like some teenage model sent Kyungsoo’s head reeling and he himself felt terribly under-dressed and ugly. He wondered if he had a nosebleed yet.

“Hi!” Chanyeol called out cheerfully and went and linked his arm with the other (which actually almost did give Kyungsoo a nosebleed _and_ a heart-attack). “So, then, let’s go?”

Still in a state of shock from his date’s inhuman good looks, Kyungsoo felt himself being pulled forward by an over-enthusiastic Park Chanyeol whose arm was still wrapped around his own. He vaguely remembered that he had been the one who had asked the other out on the date and hence he should’ve been the one taking the lead but felt too blank to actually do anything about it. Kyungsoo also thought about how screwed he truly was.

Their date was nothing over-board and everything that defined simple. They were seated at the corner-most table beside the big glass windows in the small but well-known café in their neighbourhood called Café Cloud 9. Cliché, but Kyungsoo understood why because it actually felt so good. The ambience was peaceful and welcome, the songs played were soft and pleasing and the interior design was comfortable. Furthermore, the baristas, Kim Minseok and Lu Han their names turned out to be, were also so friendly and easy to get along with that for the first time Kyungsoo didn’t feel the anxiety he usually felt around new people. Also, their latte and blue berry cheesecakes were works of art.

Chanyeol behaved like he always did, and talked as much as was normal for him. Their conversations were largely one-sided, with Chanyeol doing most of the talking. But Kyungsoo liked listening, especially if it was Chanyeol and so he didn’t mind at all. It was nothing out of their usual banter and Kyungsoo would’ve almost believed that it wasn’t actually a date if it wasn’t for the fact that they weren’t in the room with the blue and white curtains and were in a café, and that both of them were dressed up in their finest casuals. But nevertheless, Kyungsoo was thankful with the familiarity of their conversation because it helped tame the butterflies in his stomach.

When they started heading back, Chanyeol linked his arm around Kyungsoo’s once again, but this time the latter didn’t freak out as much. He felt comfortable, in fact. Chanyeol’s arm around his didn’t feel weird, nor did it feel out of place. To Kyungsoo, it truly felt like it belonged just there. Like, they both belonged to each other. But he quickly told himself that it was just wishful thinking. After all, Chanyeol didn’t like boys like he did.

Except, that thought was put into doubt when they both reached their respective homes. Before separating, Chanyeol pulled the shorter of the two into a quick hug (that brought Kyungsoo’s butterflies back in full force) and gushed an over-grateful ‘thank you’ right in his ear (Kyungsoo again wondered about getting a nosebleed.) In return, Kyungsoo muttered a shy goodbye and turned to head home.

Apparently, Chanyeol’s goodbyes hadn’t ended yet because he grabbed hold of Kyungsoo’s hand and prevented him from going any farther. When Kyungsoo turned to look at him in surprise, Chanyeol beheld his eyes with a look that Kyungsoo had never seen him wear before. His breath hitched and he suddenly felt small and vulnerable under Chanyeol’s intense gaze.

“Kyungsoo,” he muttered and Kyungsoo felt himself shiver. Chanyeol’s voice was soft, alluring and laden with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. He felt himself involuntarily lean closer, mesmerized. A few more steps, just a little bit of leaning and their lips would be touching. “I….”

“What is it?”

Chanyeol blinked and then suddenly the spell was broken. He let go of Kyungsoo’s hand and sheepishly rubbed the nape of his neck. He smiled, a little guiltily, and shook his head. “No….nothing. Never mind.”

Kyungsoo nodded, not knowing what else to do. Silently, he cursed his stupid self for opening his mouth. They were so damn close. “Okay….I guess…see you around then?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol answered, a little distractedly. His eyes flicked quickly towards Kyungsoo’s lips once before he put on his familiar easy smile and looked at his friend’s eyes again. “See you. Thanks once again, for the date.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As Kyungsoo locked himself up in his room for the rest of the day, he sank down in his bed and wrapped himself up in the covers even as his heart thundered and sounded extra amplified in his ears. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way Chanyeol had looked at him. What did it mean? What _was_ that look? Then he thought about the way Chanyeol’s eyes had flicked towards his lips and inwardly groaned. He’d never felt his face grow this hot ever in his entire life. He didn’t dare have false hopes but the question still made its way into his mind.

Did Chanyeol like him too in the way he did?

………………………………………………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: a complete anime episode up ahead lol. But having said that, thank you for all the support everyone (TT) You guys seriously are the best!  
> And Tempo just hit 100 million views!!!!! Let's celebrate ya'll!!!


	6. Love and Dilemma

The rest of their first year in school passed quickly, almost too quickly and Chanyeol continued being around Kyungsoo like how he normally did. The strange incident after the date was never mentioned even once and soon Kyungsoo began thinking that maybe it really had not meant anything and that he had been the one overthinking and giving himself strange ideas.

When they’d finally cleared their year-end exams and moved on to the next year, people found out that not only was Park Chanyeol attractive, likeable, friendly and musically talented (he was exempted from club activities and sports activities because of his health condition but that still didn’t stop him from staying afterschool and invading the music room just to play the piano or try out new compositions on his guitar) but he was also an academic genius. He passed, top of the class and took the whole class by surprise. Suddenly, his popularity shot up tenfold.

With them making it to the next grade also meant a shuffling of the students in between sections. Thankfully, the four of them managed to remain in the same section. It was due to the shuffling that they met Kang Seulgi.

Kang Seulgi was the class sweetheart. She was pretty, intelligent, friendly, had an extremely nice voice and was a really great dancer. Every boy wanted to woo her and every girl held her up as their idol. And so it came as a surprise to almost everyone when she disregarded other popular people who were clearly her admirers and got friendly with the group of four who had begun to fondly call themselves The Chingu Line instead.

It surprised the four of them as much as it surprised the rest of the class when Seulgi suddenly plopped down next to them on the vacant desk while they, minus Kyungsoo, were on a heated discussion (read argument) about which of the female characters in One Piece was the ideal waifu.

“Hi!” Seulgi said sweetly when they all blinked at her in confusion. “What are you guys discussing about?”

A whole minute of silence passed before any of them gained their wits.

“Uh…” Chanyeol stumbled over his words first. Like everyone else, he seemed to be awestruck by the girl in front of him.

“Anime,” Baekhyun provided helpfully.

“One Piece, to be more precise,” Jongdae added. He seemed to be the least shaken out of them all. “We were discussing which female character made the best waifu.”

“Of course, it’s Boa Hancock without question!” Baekhyun suddenly seemed to regain his tongue and he said this while shooting Jongdae a sneer. “She’s badass, sexy, powerful and head over heels for an idiot like Luffy. She is everything!”

“Bah! Nami is a much better waifu! She is one of the most emotionally strongest girls in the entire series and is also much sexier, thank you very much! While Hancock is nice, she can’t compare to Nami!”

“You dare compare Hancock to anyone? Jongdae, your tastes suck! Hancock is an anime goddess!”

“I personally prefer Nico Robin more……”

“You shut up, Chanyeol! Nobody asked for your opinion!”

“Yeah, your tastes are much faultier than Baekhyun’s!”

“What the hell? I’m a more established and better informed One Piece fan than either of you! How dare you say my opinions don’t matter? Why, I can even name down every Devil Fruit user and their fruits even till the most recent ones because I READ THE MANGA and you guys don’t and I can bet 100 Won that you don’t even remember the name of the Devil Fruit Smoker ate…..”

“We are not even talking about Devil Fruit users, Yoda! We are discussing waifus and who is….”    

“Everybody SHUSH!”

The last one was Kyungsoo and since he rarely ever yelled, his raised voice effectively shut up the other three and they turned to stare at him.

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol recovered first and his face broke out into a huge delighted smile. “You yelled!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kyungsoo tried to use his exasperation to hide how hot his face felt when Chanyeol’s smile was directed at him. He sighed instead and turned to Seulgi who had a strange expression on her face. “I’m sorry. Please don’t mind these three. They are over-reactive idiots, all of them.”

To his surprise, Seulgi started laughing heartily and smiled her friendliest at him.

“You guys seem like so much fun!” she stated sincerely. “Would you mind if I became your friend?”

“No, not at all!” Baekhyun was quick to reply. Kyungsoo caught sight of Jongdae rolling his eyes and he felt himself give an internal sigh. They both knew what Baekhyun was aiming at. “We would totally love it if you became our friend.”

“Really? Then I’m glad,” Seulgi smiled once again and then she turned to look directly at Chanyeol. “You’re Park Chanyeol, right?”

Chanyeol started and hurriedly sat up a little, looking flustered. “Uh, yeah!”

“Well, then. Nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you,” Seulgi grinned this time and held out her hand towards a flustered Chanyeol. “Let’s hope we can be friends.”

“Um…likewise,” hesitantly, Chanyeol shook her hand.

As soon as Seulgi was gone, heading towards her own small clique of friends, Jongdae and Baekhyun immediately turned to look at Chanyeol, who was still a little zoned out.

“Bro,” Jongdae began first, his lips stretching into a wide familiar catlike smile. “You freaking managed to grab Kang Seulgi’s attention!”

“Now is the first time I wish I had your charms,” Baekhyun grumbled. “What did you even do to get her attention?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol muttered, the confusion and disbelief evident in his voice. He was staring intently at the smooth top of his desk, like trying to unrest some sort of mystery out of it.

“You’re interested in her too, aren’t you?” Jongdae’s voice contained a smirk as Chanyeol looked up sharply, startled and his cheeks mottled a pretty shade of pink.

“What?! No! That’s not what I…” He wasn’t allowed to continue because Jongdae gave him a playful shove and Baekhyun started chuckling.

“Go for her, dude!”

Amidst Chanyeol’s loud protests and Baekhyun and Jongdae’s teasing laughs, Kyungsoo was the only one who remained quiet. His thoughts were swirling in his head and he kept recalling Seulgi’s smiles and Chanyeol’s blushing and flustered behavior. His head pounded and he felt his heart slowly break. The fear that he had always had was finally starting to take a solid shape after all.

Seulgi liked Chanyeol. And judging from the way Chanyeol reacted (he’d never seen him react like that before), he probably liked her as well. It almost made him wish that Chanyeol had never decided to come out of his house and attend school. Kyungsoo wanted to go back to the time when they were secret friends and Chanyeol was his and his alone.

With a heavy heart, Kyungsoo prepared himself for what might follow next. Any moment, he expected to hear that Chanyeol and Seulgi were dating, and then he would hear his own heart shatter to pieces. He couldn’t say that he was ready or that he would ever be.   

Seulgi, true to her word, hung out with the four of them much more often than they had anticipated. And they, in turn, enjoyed her presence because she could be an extremely entertaining person indeed. Kyungsoo found himself unable to dislike her even though she made him so envious. She was nice, nicer than anyone he had ever met before and he had to admit, albeit a bit grudgingly, that he enjoyed her company just as much as the others. He couldn’t exactly blame her for having the attention of the one person he so dearly liked, could he? Besides, she and Chanyeol actually made a really cute pair. So, Kyungsoo decided to swallow down his own feelings and stay in silence.

Word about the well-known Kang Seulgi befriending the four of them spread quickly and suddenly the four friends found themselves on the receiving end of several jealousy ridden glares from envious boys and girls alike. They were surprised. They had known that Seulgi was popular of course but they definitely hadn’t thought that her popularity was this strong. It was disconcerting and at the same time rather amusing.

“I suddenly feel like I’ve gotten so much more popular this past week,” Baekhyun stated with a nervous chuckle as he watched yet another guy, a jock by the looks of him, pass by with a pointed glare towards their direction. “I really love it when people give me attention but this isn’t the kind of popularity I was looking for.”

Jongdae sighed and rubbed his face, a little frustrated. They were eating lunch at the cafeteria for a change because the door to the roof was locked due to maintenance. “I really don’t get why they should be glaring at me,” he half whined. “I already have a girlfriend, for goodness sake!”

“Not like they know that, Dae. She goes to a different school.”

“I know, but still!”

Kyungsoo tuned out the two of them who had started bickering again and turned to look at Chanyeol, who was uncharacteristically very quiet. Out of them all, Chanyeol had it the worst because there was also a rumor going on that Seulgi had become friends with them only because she had been charmed by him. It wasn’t completely wrong, Kyungsoo thought, but Chanyeol still looked pretty bothered about it.

“You alright?” Kyungsoo noted the way the other started at the question and turned to look at him with unfocused eyes. “What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Nothing!” Chanyeol shook his head slightly and smiled, a glassy replica compared to his usual bright ones. “I’m fine, don’t worry, Soo.”

Kyungsoo frowned. It was painfully clear that that was a lie but he wasn’t going to push it if Chanyeol didn’t feel like sharing. “Alright, then,” he finally muttered, still giving his friend a suspicious glance. “But if someone is actually bothering you then you better tell us and we will kick their asses.”

The smile Chanyeol gave this time was genuine and he nodded vigorously. “Alright, Superman.”

………………………….

As days passed, Seulgi’s interest in Chanyeol seemed to become even more apparent as she started hanging out more and more with them, and Chanyeol in turn seemed equally as receptive. He didn’t pull away every time she inched a little closer than she normally did towards him and he didn’t comment whenever she laid a hand on his arm while laughing at some joke Baekhyun made. Either he was too dumb and didn’t notice all those signs or he was as smitten as she was with him. Kyungsoo did all he could to quell the churning jealousy that rose up inside him whenever the two of them shared those kind of intimate moments. He wasn’t supposed to feel that way towards his friends, and Seulgi was his friend too. However, he still found himself wishing sometimes that if only Seulgi had never approached them at all. He felt guilty of thinking that way but he couldn’t help it either. Seulgi had the one person he’d always wanted to have and it was so easy for her.

By now, the whole school thought that Chanyeol and Seulgi were already dating and while the glaring had lessened a great deal, there were still a few who were bent on making things unpleasant for the four of them. Chanyeol often wound up tight-lipped and troubled-looking even though he continued smiling brightly and being his optimistic self around them. Kyungsoo wondered if there was a lot his friend was hiding and couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed. He fervently hoped and prayed that things wouldn’t deteriorate more between them and that they would just go back to being the friends that they were.

Of course, luck didn’t seem to side with him in any way.

It was lunch break one day when Chanyeol went missing on them and they waited at their usual cafeteria table, impatient and annoyed. In the end, Kyungsoo volunteered to go looking for the giant when none of them could take it anymore.

After searching practically everywhere, from the rooftop to the music room, Kyungsoo finally caught sight of the lanky figure of his best friend, partially hidden behind the glass walls of their school greenhouse (surprisingly, their school _did_ own a greenhouse for some reason.) A little relieved, Kyungsoo started making for the tiny structure and was about to call out for the giant when he saw that Chanyeol wasn’t alone. Snapping his mouth shut, Kyungsoo hid behind the nearest wall and carefully peeked, feeling curious as to who he was talking with. It, he realized, was Seulgi.

Kyungsoo felt his throat constrict and his heart thundered in his chest. Unable to help himself, he continued peeking, wanting to know what they were talking about. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about from the distance he was in, but judging from how flabbergasted and awkward Chanyeol looked and how Seulgi had a pretty rosy blush to her cheeks as she talked rapidly, he could more or less guess what the conversation was about. Chanyeol seemed to mutter a reply after Seulgi stopped, which of course Kyungsoo couldn’t hear. Then Seulgi laughed, awkwardly but pretty as always, and began leaning closer and…..Kyungsoo abruptly turned and ran.

Blood pounding in his ears and a suspicious sting to his eyes, he never stopped running until he was far away from the greenhouse. Body on autopilot, he found himself making for the boys washrooms instead of the cafeteria and once he was inside, he locked himself in one of the toilet cubicles. There, he exhaled staggeringly and finally let himself cry. He’d been holding it in for a long time and now he finally let loose a stream of tears that never seemed to stop. He’d seen it coming. Everyone in the _school_ had seen it coming (okay, maybe that was an exaggeration). He’d been preparing himself for this very day. Yet Kyungsoo couldn’t hold up against the pain that bloomed in his chest, threatening to wholly break him. He hadn’t realized the extent of how much he liked Chanyeol until now. And it hurt so much. So much that Kyungsoo wanted to rip out his heart from his chest and throw it away in the sea. He didn’t want to feel this way. He wanted to be happy for his friend. Chanyeol was finally living his life the way he was supposed to. He had finally found someone he could love and give his heart to. Chanyeol was _happy._ Yet Kyungsoo felt anything but. He was a horrible friend, he concluded.

Willing himself to stop crying and rinsing his tear-streaked face thoroughly so as not to let the others know that he had been crying, Kyungsoo took a deep breath and started heading for the cafeteria. He was afraid that his eyes were too red and would give away the fact but he couldn’t exactly stay away either because then they would come looking for him.

When he reached the cafeteria though, he nearly lost his resolve once again and almost turned and ran. While he was gone, Chanyeol had arrived and now the three of them sat at the table, seemingly waiting for him.

“There you are!” Baekhyun exclaimed as soon as he caught sight of Kyungsoo. “Where the hell did you disappear off to? We were just about to come looking for you.”

“I was in the washroom,” Kyungsoo muttered simply, as he took his seat next to Jongdae. He was pointedly trying not to look at the guy sitting opposite to him. “It took longer than I thought because I was feeling a little sick.”

“Dude, you okay?” Jongdae’s voice was laced with concern and it made Kyungsoo suddenly feel guilty for worrying his friends so much and lying on top of it. “You actually do look a little sick. Is everything fine?”

“Yeah, it was just a tummy ache, Dae.”

Kyungsoo could literally feel Chanyeol’s eyes boring holes on his head, and did everything in his power to not turn and look at him. He imagined that Chanyeol wore that familiar curious expression on his face which appeared every time he thought that Kyungsoo was hiding something more profound. Fortunately, the older didn’t say anything out loud and for that Kyungsoo respected him.

Chanyeol did, however grab his arm and pulled him away once everyone was out of the cafeteria, before Kyungsoo could even protest. The taller boy’s grip on his arm was strong as he pulled a gawking Kyungsoo to one of the more quiet corridors around (nope, Kyungsoo was definitely not blushing and his heart was definitely not going crazy.) After Chanyeol was seemingly satisfied that they had come a good distance away from the crowd, he stopped and faced his friend.

“Soo,” he began, voice soft but still with a stern edge to it. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I had a tummy ache Chan-“

“Yeah, sure you did,” Chanyeol waved it away sarcastically, but not unkindly. “Now tell me what’s really wrong.”

“I…” Kyungsoo made the mistake of looking up and his breath hitched when he made eye contact with the other boy. Chanyeol’s brows were scrunched up and lips unsmiling, an expression he rarely wore unless he was really worried. Kyungsoo gulped, and forced himself to continue. “I’m really fine, Chanyeol. You don’t need to worry.”

That only made Chanyeol’s frown to get deeper. “You were crying,” he noted, and Kyungsoo froze. “Your eyes are rather red. Soo, you rarely cry. What’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything, don’t you? Is someone troubling you? Do you need my help? Is there anyone I can bash up to make you feel better? Answer, Soo.”

Kyungsoo honestly felt a little mad. Chanyeol was here talking to him like everything was normal, like he hadn’t just gotten confessed to by Seulgi just moments ago, like it was completely normal to just up and start dating a girl, like Kyungsoo’s feelings didn’t matter at all, like it was alright to just continue as best friends when Kyungsoo definitely felt more than that. He knew it was unfair pinning all the blame on Chanyeol like that. Hell, the giant softy of a guy didn’t even know about his best friend’s feelings for him! As guilty as he felt, Kyungsoo couldn’t help it. At the moment to the shorter boy, the world was so completely unfair.

“Soo~” Chanyeol practically whined in distress. “Tell me? I don’t like seeing you troubled! Tell me, I can he-“

“I’m fine, Chanyeol and I don’t need your help,” Kyungsoo didn’t mean to snap but that was just what he did. He immediately felt a stab of guilt when Chanyeol took a step back, startled, confused and the hurt clearly visible on his face. So, the next time he spoke, his voice was softer. “You don’t need to keep worrying about me. You…you live your life, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol was still frowning, his lower lip jutting out in a slight pout. Kyungsoo decided that the second expression he disliked on his best friend’s face was a frown and all he wanted to do at the moment was kiss his pout away. But that was the one thing Kyungsoo knew he would never have. He hoped Seulgi would keep him from ever frowning like this in the future. “But, Soo…”

“Please, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo felt his voice wobble a little and he felt dangerously close to tears again. No, he couldn’t cry! Not in front of the one person he never wanted to upset. But then again, Chanyeol was already upset. Upset because of him. _What an irony,_ he thought. “I…I need sometime alone.”

Chanyeol seemed to give up then. “If that’s what you wish,” he murmured softly. Then as an afterthought, he continued in a more timid voice. “We…we are still friends right? You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

Kyungsoo wanted to cry. Park Chanyeol, who had the biggest heart in the whole world and who deserved better than the entire universe, still wanted to be his friend when Kyungsoo himself was being so selfish and thinking about only himself when he should’ve been wishing for his friend’s happiness instead. What did he even do to deserve such a person in his life? No, Kyungsoo didn’t deserve Chanyeol’s love in any way. He replied to Chanyeol’s query with a watery smile. “Yes, Chanyeol. We still are. You’re my best friend.”

_And that’s what we’ll always be._

Chanyeol of course couldn’t hear Kyungsoo’s thoughts much less guess his feelings for him and so when his face lit up again with a relieved sunny smile, Kyungsoo felt his heart break. He wondered if he was lying to Chanyeol or himself.

…………………………….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess the drama starts? ^^;  
> Thank you for all the support (TT). Reviews and kudos are as always much appreciated <3


	7. Confessions and Potato Chips

Chanyeol never told them if he had actually started seeing Seulgi or not but Kyungsoo saw the both of them hanging out alone a number of times to be sure that they actually were dating. But he didn’t tell Baekhyun and Jongdae that. It wasn’t his place to tell. Chanyeol would inform them (and him) himself if he wanted to.

Seulgi still hung out with the four of them often enough so Kyungsoo knew she had really meant it when she’d said that she wanted to be their friend. She was a good person after all. She wouldn’t abandon them just because she had got what she wanted. And Chanyeol and she never acted out of the ordinary or too affectionate with each other when they were around the others. They were both good people. If there was someone who was ungrateful and not understanding enough, Kyungsoo knew that it was himself.

Over the past three days Kyungsoo realized that he had been discreetly avoiding Chanyeol as much as possible. Whenever the other tried to strike up a conversation with him, Kyungsoo’s replies would be short and curt though not unkind, and then Chanyeol would gain a kicked puppy look and not pursue the conversation again. Eventually, he gave up and started giving Kyungsoo the space he wanted. That made Kyungsoo feel lonelier and worse somehow. If Baekhyun and Jongdae had noticed the weird tension between them then they didn’t utter a word about it.

It was on the fourth day of Kyungsoo avoiding Chanyeol when Seulgi came up to him during recess when he was wandering around on his own.

“Kyungsoo,” she said in her ever melodic and somehow comforting voice that made everyone, Kyungsoo included, like her. “Can we have a little chat?”

Confused and a little nervous as to why Seulgi wanted to talk to him of all people, Kyungsoo found himself merely nodding.

They sat on the bleachers, with banana milk in their hands and Kyungsoo waited in trepidation for Seulgi to speak. She asked a question he had been expecting.

“Why have you been avoiding Chanyeol of late?”

Kyungsoo had been expecting that question for long now. If not from Seulgi then he’d expected either Jongdae or Baekhyun to ask him the same thing. But yet Kyungsoo found himself unable to answer it even though he’d basically predicted Seulgi to ask that question. Why was he avoiding Chanyeol actually? Honestly, he didn’t really know. Chanyeol had done nothing wrong. It was only because Kyungsoo _couldn’t_ bear to be around him because that guy made him feel things. A _whole_ lot of things.

“Things got….awkward between us,” was his dumb reply.

“More like _you_ made things awkward for yourself,” Seulgi gave a gentle yet a knowing smile. “Kyungsoo, you’re gay, aren’t you?”

It wasn’t a question but a statement. Kyungsoo’s head shot up in shock and unease. How had she known? He had told no one, not even Baekhyun and Jongdae. The only person who knew was Chanyeol. Did he perhaps tell her? Kyungsoo hoped and prayed that that wasn’t the case. He’d _trusted_ Chanyeol. He can’t break his heart again. “How did you know?”

“I just know. I have a sixth sense for these things,” Seulgi chuckled softly. “I’ll tell you something, Kyungsoo. I’m bi. I’m not very different from you.”

Kyungsoo stared at her dumbly in greater shock. “W…what?”

Seulgi chuckled again. “It’s true. I dated a girl previously. Irene. You know of her, don’t you?”

Kyungsoo nodded. He knew who Irene was. She was another well-known girl in their school who was a grade senior to them. She was currently in her final year. 

“Irene and I decided to call it quits this year. We had, ah, family issues. Plus the school was slowly beginning to find out so yeah. But enough about me,” Seulgi waved aside her story with a flourish and turned to Kyungsoo. “It’s you we need to worry about. You have a crush on Chanyeol, don’t you?”

Kyungsoo flushed a deep red and turned away, feeling suddenly raw and exposed. But he felt guiltier about the fact that it was Chanyeol’s _girlfriend_ who’d found out about his crush. “I’m so sorry.”

“What?” Seulgi looked at him, mystified. “Why are you apologizing, Kyungsoo?”

“It’s only right that I apologize,” now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to feel confused. Wasn’t Seulgi mad at him? “I’m crushing on Chanyeol when I obviously shouldn’t because you are dating him and it’s just wrong for me to…” He wasn’t allowed to continue because Seulgi suddenly burst out laughing.

“Oh, Kyungsoo, you are so cute!” she muttered while giving him a fond smile. “Now I know the root of our problems.”

“W…what do you mean?”

 “Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and I aren’t dating,” Seulgi finally stated while smiling broadly and chuckling a little. “You’ve just been having a HUGE misunderstanding all along.”

“Oh,” was all Kyungsoo managed to say because ‘oh’ indeed! He suddenly felt so stupid that he wanted to crawl into a rabbit hole and ban his own existence from the world.

“I mean I did have a crush on Chanyeol and I still kind of do. And I did also ask him out, but you know what? He rejected me,” Seulgi chuckled and Kyungsoo found himself staring at her, his head swimming in thoughts. Chanyeol rejected her? “He was so flustered and _awestruck_ when I asked him out that it made me want to coo at him and tuck him to bed like a Mama Hen. But he was firm when he rejected me even though he apologized profusely.” Here Seulgi laughed. “He is so adorable, I die.”

Kyungsoo found himself nodding and smiling softly. That sounded so like Chanyeol. But then he was troubled by a more pressing question. “But, why did Chanyeol reject you?”

Seulgi gave him an amused look. “Do you think he shouldn’t have?”

“If I wasn’t gay and you had asked me out instead of Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo spoke resolutely and he meant every word. “Then I would never even dream of rejecting you!”

Seulgi’s expression softened tenfold and she gave him a fond smile once again. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Thanks Kyungsoo, but Chanyeol meant well,” she said, the fond smile still intact on her face. “Chanyeol rejected me because he felt he himself wasn’t sincere enough with his feelings. He said he knew he wasn’t ready to date me because he wouldn’t be able to give as much as I deserved, that he wouldn’t be committed enough. Although I rather disagree and think we could’ve worked it all out along the way, I understand where he is coming from. Commitment is a delicate and frightening thing after all and Chanyeol is surprisingly much more cautious and serious than we give him credit for.”

Kyungsoo found himself nodding again. He knew first-hand how committed Chanyeol was to certain things and how much it actually meant to him. He was committed to music, to anime and to cooking and Kyungsoo had seen how much love Chanyeol had in his heart whenever they came across a stray animal of any kind. So, of course Chanyeol would choose who to date really carefully because commitment meant so much to him and he would want to give it to the right person.

“Does Chanyeol know about how you feel for him?” Seulgi’s question snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to stare at her before shaking his head.

“Then why don’t you tell him how you feel?”

Kyungsoo shook his head harder at that. “He doesn’t like me like that,” he reasoned, albeit sadly. “Chanyeol….doesn’t swing that way.”

“How do you know?” Kyungsoo snapped up his head to see Seulgi giving him a mysterious smile. “Did he tell you that?”

Baffled, Kyungsoo shook his head once more. What was she trying to get at?

“Tell him, Kyungsoo,” Seulgi urged him, the mysterious smile still on her lips. “You wouldn’t know anything unless you try.”

Kyungsoo felt strange, and he felt an unexplainable hope trickle into his heart as he looked at the girl beside him. The next words he spoke were almost whispers. “Do you think…he is like us? Like…like he is gay….or maybe bi?”

To that Seulgi only grinned. “It’s up to you to find out, Do Kyungsoo.”

…………………………………………….

Kyungsoo never had to tell Chanyeol about the way he felt. Right when he had decided he had been ignoring his best friend for about long enough and debated whether to bake a batch of Chanyeol’s favorite chocolate chip cookies as an apology and drop by into the Park Residence, the subject of Kyungsoo’s thoughts himself called him up on his cellphone the very next moment.

“Hey, um….” Chanyeol sounded uncharacteristically nervous when he spoke. Kyungsoo’s heart raced by the sound of his deep voice alone. “K…Kyungsoo, would you like to hang out at my place today? I’m bored alone…..and neither Noona nor Mom’s at home.”

Kyungsoo hummed thoughtfully and broke into a wide smile. He was way more delighted than Chanyeol would ever guess. “Yeah, that would be cool.”

“Okay,” He heard Chanyeol exhale through the phone. “Okay.” And this time he heard the smile in his voice. “See you soon, then.”

Kyungsoo decided to skip on the chocolate chip cookies after coming to the conclusion that they would take too long and instead grabbed several packets of the potato crackers they both loved and a bottle of Coke. He’d made up his mind. He would tell the soft giant how he felt for him.

On reaching the door to the house next door though, Kyungsoo felt his earlier determination fade slowly and he almost wondered whether it would be better to bolt and lock himself up in his room instead. But then he shook his head with a frown, slapped himself lightly twice and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost immediately, as if Chanyeol had been waiting right beside it. He appeared through the open door dressed in normal grey sweat-pants and an oversized red T-shirt, his brown hair messy and sticking out in all angles. Kyungsoo thought he looked beautiful.

“Hey,” Chanyeol sounded a little sheepish as he greeted. He didn’t look Kyungsoo directly in the eyes either. “Come on in.”

They found themselves in the familiar room with the off-white walls and open window with the blue and white curtains again, a bag of chips open between them and the bottle of Coke passed to and fro now and again. The only difference this time was the fact that the conversation didn’t flow as naturally as it usually did. The slight tension in the air was almost palpable and Kyungsoo caught himself chewing on his lower lip more often than normal. His throat had suddenly gone dry and he felt himself give up, heart sinking to the very depths of his stomach in misery. He couldn’t do it. He was a coward.

He guessed he was grateful that Chanyeol was so much more courageous than he was.

“I like you,” for the first few moments Kyungsoo thought the words had slipped his own mouth but then his head snapped up in disbelief and he saw Chanyeol in front of him sporting a blush redder than a tomato and staring intensely at his bed-covers. “Soo, I…I really like you and not in the friendly way. I’ve…I’ve been meaning to tell you since the d…date but I never could because I was scared and…and I didn’t know if you would agree to date me and…and I thought you deserved someone better and I…I but then…I listened to your mix-tape to….today and I just couldn’t keep quiet and I….ah, just…I like you! Date me please!”

Chanyeol was left a little breathless at the end of his speech and he still refused to look up and meet Kyungsoo in the eyes (who knew he had a side this shy to himself?) Kyungsoo on the other hand stared at the other, his mouth hanging open in shock. His head was swimming in a whirlwind of thoughts. Chanyeol liked him? What? And he had actually been asked out by his best friend whom he had crushed on for the longest time? Kyungsoo couldn’t decide if he was happy, confused, shocked, flustered yet disbelieving at the same time. When he found his tongue, he ended up asking the dumbest possible thing.

“You….like me?” As if he hadn’t just heard him confess a few minutes ago.

If it was even possible Chanyeol’s blush deepened even more. Shyly, he nodded his head and lifted his eyes to glance at the other before quickly lowering his gaze again. If Kyungsoo wasn’t so dumbstruck, he would’ve cooed at the extreme adorableness of the act.

“But,” Kyungsoo spoke softly because he was still pretty much unable to believe what had just happened. “I thought you like girls.”

“I do,” Chanyeol clarified. “But…I like boys too.”

A part of Kyungsoo wanted to break free, do 20 somersaults in the air and sing to everyone about his happiness in the loudest voice possible. But another part of him was still disbelieving and afraid. What if it was all a lie? It was too good to be true. “What about Seulgi? I…I thought you liked her.”

“Seulgi….is an amazing person. And…the guy who eventually gets her would be lucky indeed,” Chanyeol began with a fond smile. “She…..she asked me out and honestly, I felt so lucky and honored. But the crush I have on her is….just that of admiration. I….I never felt for her that way.” He then stopped and looked at Kyungsoo with resolute eyes, even if he still looked like he either wanted to pass out or bolt. “The person I like is you, Soo. I really like you and I….I want you. I want to be with you until….until I die.”

Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to blush and want to pass out. This was real! His mind screamed at him. But yet he still felt a strange sort of fear. What if this just turned out to be one of Chanyeol’s decisions on whim again? He did those a lot. But then he remembered Seulgi’s words. Chanyeol was much more serious and cautious than they gave him credit for. To Chanyeol, commitment was an important thing, something he would never approach carelessly and he wouldn’t have asked Kyungsoo out if he didn’t mean it. Suddenly, all of Kyungsoo’s fear and doubt was replaced with pure unadulterated love and an emotion so strong that he couldn’t speak through the lump that had lodged itself in his throat. He felt his eyes stinging suspiciously but yet he went on looking at his best friend all the while feeling his cheeks hurting from how much he was smiling. He wondered if Chanyeol could see the amount of love he felt from his eyes alone.

Apparently, Chanyeol did because when he looked up finally and met Kyungsoo’s eyes, any hint of nervousness and panic melted from his features and he stared at the other with his mouth hanging slightly open in childish awe. His cheeks were still mottled pink from blushing and neck was flushed a beautiful shade of red. Kyungsoo had the strongest urge to press his lips to the flushed skin and taste and feel as much of Chanyeol as possible.

“Chanyeol,” he felt more timid than he sounded. “Is it alright if I kiss you?”

Chanyeol looked taken aback for a second before his lips broke into the happiest smile Kyungsoo had ever seen. There was a suspicious sheen to his eyes but he shyly nodded his head and only had to look expectantly at the other for the slightest moment before Kyungsoo almost lunged forward and grabbed Chanyeol’s face to pull him against his mouth.

They shared their first ever kiss beside the open window with the blue and white curtains, the very place they had first met and talked with each other. The kiss was soft, shy and lasted for a short time but it still sent electric tingles through Kyungsoo’s body and made him feel light-headed. All he could think of was the fact that Chanyeol felt and tasted so much better than he had imagined and that their lips glided and fit perfectly. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss Chanyeol again and again and again until they were both tired and gasping for breath.

They pulled away and looked at each other and laughed, both red-faced and too happy to speak. Then Chanyeol gently held Kyungsoo’s face before leaning in for another kiss, this time much more enthusiastic, languid and deep. Kyungsoo fell a little more in love when Chanyeol’s hands ghosted over his skin and fingers tangled themselves in his hair as both of them subconsciously moved in and pressed closer. His own arms were wrapped around the other’s body and hands fisting fabrics of the red t-shirt tight as if there would be no tomorrow. He felt giddy with pleasure and delight when Chanyeol parted his lips and took his, Kyungsoo’s upper one first for a small amount of time before moving again and sucking on his fuller lower lip. Kyungsoo felt himself pressing closer, kissing a little bit harder, coaxing a little bit more and following the other’s movements as much as possible. His mind was starting to get fuzzy from the way Chanyeol was kissing him all the while pulling on his hair ever so slightly with his left hand and his right hand that had found a home in the crook of his neck kneading the flesh there gently, comfortingly but still enough to make Kyungsoo heat up with desire. But nothing could’ve prepared him for when Chanyeol pressed even harder and licked Kyungsoo’s lower lip, asking for entrance. It knocked his brain out of his skull and he parted his lips a little too quickly, a little too eager and soon enough Chanyeol had entirely invaded all of his senses. Kyungsoo shuddered and couldn’t stop the small moan that escaped his lips when Chanyeol’s tongue swept over his and licked into his mouth. It was still tentative and hesitant since it was a first for the both of them but it didn’t stop Kyungsoo’s insides from completely melting either. He was amazed. How could Chanyeol be this good at something he had never done before? He thought it was completely unfair.

Kyungsoo posed that question when the both of them finally pulled apart after being completely out of breath from kissing for so long.

“How much hentai do you have to watch to be _this_ good at kissing?”

To which Chanyeol blinked owlishly first before bursting into loud and merry laughter.

The rest of the day they spent chatting and bantering like they usually did and finishing the rest of the potato crackers. Occasionally, they kissed and often they cuddled. Kyungsoo found out firsthand how gentle and affectionate Chanyeol was when he was in love and he couldn’t have felt luckier that he was in the receiving end of it. His mind wandered to the way Chanyeol had kissed him so perfectly and yet hotly and felt himself heat up all over again. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but keep thinking that it was so unfair how the other could knock him off his feet and flip him upside down so easily and effortlessly. He complained about it in more than one occasion to the other who would always laugh and hug him at that.

“You know, you can always take revenge and I wouldn’t mind,” Chanyeol stated matter-of-factly.

(It was later that day that Kyungsoo took him up on that offer and pushed him against the wall to put his lips against the other’s prettily flushed skin slightly above the collarbone and suck in a mark. He couldn’t help but relish in satisfaction at the way Chanyeol gasped under him and then whimpered softly.)

One of the first things Kyungsoo did after coming into a relationship with Chanyeol was come out to Jongdae and Baekhyun because why couldn’t he? They were his closest friends and he couldn’t keep hiding from them like that, not after all that they had done for him.

Once Kyungsoo had finished stuttering and telling them about his deep dark secret, they smiled knowingly and hugged him in unison.

“We always knew, Soo,” Jongdae was the first to speak fondly. “There was always something rather different about you. We were only waiting for when you would be comfortable enough to tell it to us yourself.”  

“Kyungie-ah~” Baekhyun drawled with emotion and hugged the other even tighter despite his protests. “I’m so glad you told us! Know that we are always there for you, our Kyungie-ah!”

Kyungsoo would be lying if he said he didn’t feel the slightest bit close to tears when his friends showered him with such blatant support. When he looked across at Chanyeol who’d stood beside them with quiet support and received a warm smile from him, it was all he could do from choking up. He felt lucky indeed.

(He didn’t feel lucky however, when the two of them took to pestering him to treating them to noraebang and samgyeopsal party as a way of celebrating him and Chanyeol finally coming into a relationship. “Soju!” Baekhyun also screeched resulting which he got smacked really hard on the top of his head.)

…………………………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well......the drama didn't last too long xD. Then again I'm not the most dramatic person even though I'm extremely extremely cheesy. lol please forgive me. And also....I know I mentioned banana milk a number of times now but I just love it as much as Sehun loves bubble tea so please don't mind me xD.  
> And they finally kissed! Thank goodness hehe!  
> I probably won't be able to update for some time because exams are starting so I'm leaving you guys with this last cheesy, squishy excuse of a chapter for the time being. >_<  
> Thank you for all the support and kudos and reviews as always are so much appreciated. <3


	8. Challenges and Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! So I'm back! Exams finally got over and i could finish this chapter. It's not one of my best since my creativity has sort of shut down because of the damn exams. But anyway, hope you like it.  
> P.S: what with all the present scandals happening (a number of my favorite idols even) and haters finding a chance to drag EXO once again, let's be there for our boys and be strong alright? It's during times like these, they need our reassurance the most. Hwaiting, to all of us! <3

In the end, it was Seulgi who threw them a noraebang party. Overjoyed about the fact that Kyungsoo had finally confessed and that he was dating Chanyeol, she had dragged all of them to the nearest karaoke bar right after school ended and they had spent a blissful hour or two there singing their favorite songs on the top of their voices. Seulgi insisted on paying for everything because she apparently had too much money to spare (they found out that day that she was also pretty rich) and even treated all of them to samgyeopsal and hoppang. Kyungsoo wondered why she went so out of her way just for the mere fact that he had started dating.

“You don’t understand, Soo,” Seulgi had only said softly when he questioned her about it. “Coming out is a huge, difficult and an immensely brave thing to do. Especially here, where people like us aren’t treated well at all. I want you to know how proud I am, we all are, of both you and Chanyeol for doing this. And so, let me spoil you both all I want at least just for this evening.”

Hearing what Seulgi said made Kyungsoo feel luckier than he already did. What had he done in his previous life to receive friends as amazing as them?

After that, things seemed to just soar. Their second year in high school passed much faster than they had been expecting it to. And for Kyungsoo especially, it was all pure bliss. Along with newfound support from Baekhyun, Jongdae, Seulgi and even Jongin and Sehun as well as having Chanyeol for a boyfriend, he felt happier than he had ever had in a long time. It was also a huger and an even pleasanter surprise when Chanyeol, deciding that he didn’t want to hide from his family, came out to his mother and Yoora and they supported as well as accepted him wholeheartedly without the slightest bit of prejudice. And then with his permission of course, Chanyeol shyly revealed that he was dating Kyungsoo which took his family completely by surprise. But after the initial bewilderment had passed, they actually welcomed Kyungsoo into their family as their own son, not that he wasn’t already welcome in the house. But the bond took a new form and now he wasn’t just Do Kyungsoo, Chanyeol’s friend from next door anymore. He was so much more than that.

It was slightly more challenging with Kyungsoo’s own family when he, after a lot of contemplation decided to reveal himself to them. His parents didn’t take it too well in the beginning, only choosing to stare open-mouthed and disbelieving at their son who had just stuttered out his deepest secret. The lack of positive reception greatly disheartened Kyungsoo and he holed up in his room for about a week without interacting with his parents in anyway and going (albeit guiltily) to have meals with the Park Family instead. It was only when his brother, Seungsoo, came home for a short weekend and found out about whatever happened that things got better. The older sibling supported Kyungsoo from the get go and chastised his parents for the way they’d acted. Then he’d gone on to coax Kyungsoo out of the room until their mother broke down, crying and apologized profusely to her younger son. Their father was of the same mindset, stating that his sudden announcement had just shocked them a lot and they didn’t mean to ever make Kyungsoo feel insecure. In the end, Kyungsoo just dissolved into tears as well and broke the joyful news to Chanyeol while still crying. It prompted the other to immediately climb over the boundary wall to the Do Household’s lawn just to bundle up Kyungsoo into a tight hug.

Kyungsoo loved Chanyeol’s hugs and the fact that they made him feel so protected. He loved the way Chanyeol tucked his chin on his shoulder despite being so much taller and the way he whispered comforting things in his ear. He loved the way he peppered his cheeks with light kisses and the way he held his hand. He especially loved how eagerly Chanyeol always received Kyungsoo’s own kisses.

Kyungsoo loved kissing Chanyeol. Hell, he was _addicted_ to kissing Chanyeol. There had been so many days when they’d just shared long moments just kissing lovingly in Chanyeol’s room. But Kyungsoo definitely liked those other rarer moments more where they both stayed back after school and he pushed the other into the music room and pinned him against the door, exchanging hot kisses and needy touches. Call him rather sadistic but Kyungsoo loved having the usually boisterous and overbearing Chanyeol quiet and compliant just like putty in his hands. He could do anything he wanted and Chanyeol just let him, only giving out the occasional gasps and whines which just spurred Kyungsoo on even more (Baekhyun and Jongdae found it unexpected as well as amusing that out of the two Kyungsoo had turned out to be the needy one when they had been expecting Chanyeol instead.). After the furious make-out sessions, Kyungsoo loved the way Chanyeol pampered him with more love and made him sit next to him on the stool while he played his special composed songs on the piano for him alone. Kyungsoo loved looking at Chanyeol’s face just to see the way he slightly scrunched up his eyebrows in concentration while playing. Kyungsoo loved the way Chanyeol’s fingers ran so smoothly over the black and white keys. Kyungsoo loved the dazzling smiles the other gave him after every song ended.

Kyungsoo realized that he loved Chanyeol.

(They never went beyond kissing and making out a little though because neither of them wanted to jump into other more intimate activities so fast.)

Of course, there was still bound to be darker stuff that would throw a shadow into their rosy relationship. One of them happened to come when they were both sitting as usual in Chanyeol’s room and having their usual banter that involved a bit of nostalgic reminiscing about how they’d first met when Chanyeol posed a question.

“By the way, Kyungsoo,” he had begun. “Back in those days when you still sneaked into our compound, you mentioned once about being scared of Mom. I just wanted to know why because it’s just so weird anyone would be scared of her.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo recalled that memory and laughed because now he thought it was pretty stupid of him. “Well….I’d seen auntie once or twice out of the house before when I was really young. And the few times I did see her, she never smiled and always sort of frowned. I was…..around five then I think? And that sort of left an impression in my head that she was a scary lady.”

“Ahh,” the confusion and curiosity in Chanyeol’s face faded and he smiled softly, with something suspiciously melancholy to it. “I was five too then. And my dad left us when I was five.”

Kyungsoo knew for a fact that Chanyeol’s parents were divorced. Yoora had been the one to tell him. But as he looked on at his boyfriend who sat beside him, quiet and slightly spaced out (completely unlike Chanyeol), he realized that Chanyeol had never talked to him about his dad. He waited patiently, because Chanyeol looked like he still had something to say.

“My mom……could never take Dad’s departure very well,” he continued speaking. “Probably because he left at a bad time. When I was five my illness acted up for the first time and…….neither Yoora nor Mom ever talk about it but I know that at that time I nearly died.”

Kyungsoo barely stopped the gasp that almost escaped from his lips. He felt himself unconsciously clenching his fists but didn’t speak out a single word. He waited for Chanyeol to continue.

“I nearly died…..and Dad was never there. Like he never cared about what happened to me, to _us_ ,” Chanyeol chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn’t looking at Kyungsoo. “And I don’t think Mom’s forgiven him even now.”

“What about you?” Kyungsoo didn’t know why he ended up asking that question but he did, making Chanyeol’s head snap up to look at him. “Do you hate him as well? For leaving you?”

“I….don’t really know,” Chanyeol answered honestly while bringing up his knees to wrap his arms around them. “I don’t have all too many memories with him you know since he _did_ leave when I was pretty young. And I was never particularly close with him either. So, I don’t know how I feel about him. But, there _is_ one thing though….” His lips lifted up slightly into a humorless smile and Kyungsoo felt himself inwardly shiver because for the first time Chanyeol looked cold and unforgiving. “He hurt Mom and that is one thing I will always hold against him.”   

Unable to decide what would be the best thing to say, Kyungsoo reached out for Chanyeol’s hand instead and slotted their fingers together. He rubbed slow circles on the back of the other’s hand with his thumb. He smiled when he felt Chanyeol relax and scoot over closer to him to lay his shaggy head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t told you, Soo,” Chanyeol murmured softly. Kyungsoo felt his own body vibrate with the low baritone of Chanyeol’s voice. “I didn’t know the best way to tell it to you.”

“It is fine,” Kyungsoo murmured back. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“I am ready now,” despite being soft, there was a firm resoluteness to Chanyeol’s voice. “Are you ready to hear me out, Soo?”

Kyungsoo turned his head a little to gaze at his boyfriend who was looking at him with those big pretty brown eyes of his and smiled. “Yeah. Of course.”

“It’s about my illness.”

At that, Kyungsoo felt his smile falter and he stiffened the slightest bit. He had always wanted to know what was exactly wrong with Chanyeol’s health. But Chanyeol never told him. And he never asked. Kyungsoo was too scared to know at times. Scared at what it would turn out to be. He braced himself for what would come out when Chanyeol started talking again.

“I don’t think you know what’s exactly wrong with me,” Chanyeol was now fidgeting a little, playing with Kyungsoo’s fingers. “I have a special case of anemia of sorts. Which greatly weakens my immune system and magnifies even the commonest of colds that I catch. That’s why Mom was always so over-protective of me when I was younger because she was always afraid I would somehow hurt myself and get an infection in the process. I was always a rather careless kid.” And he chuckled a little.

Kyungsoo dared to exhale the breath that he had been holding in. It wasn’t worse than what he had expected. At least it wasn’t AIDS. Kyungsoo began relaxing a little, thinking that Chanyeol would mostly be fine as long as he was extra careful about protecting himself from the cold and the dust when Chanyeol opened his mouth again. He wasn’t done.

“And….I also have a heart condition,” Chanyeol’s voice turned small when he felt Kyungsoo stiffen against him. “Hurts a lot. Beats irregularly. The doctor says I have a weak heart, which I was born with because, believe it or not, I was a premature kid. And that with every time I fall ill……it just gets weaker and weaker.”

Kyungsoo wanted to tell Chanyeol to stop talking. To stop telling him because he didn’t want to know. That knowing was just putting a fear in him that in no way would he be able to curb and control. Kyungsoo wanted to be blind to the truth. But he didn’t stop Chanyeol. Because he knew why Chanyeol was telling him all of this now. Because Chanyeol wanted, _needed_ to know if Kyungsoo would still be with him even after everything. And Kyungsoo already knew his answer.

“I’m sorry, Soo,” Chanyeol had moved away from Kyungsoo and was now sitting with his knees drawn to his chest again. “I really am.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I could die any moment. Maybe tomorrow, maybe day after. Maybe _today_. Maybe……right now,” Kyungsoo noted that Chanyeol’s voice was trembling a little now and his heart wrenched. He wondered how often the boy had to deal with these terrifying thoughts alone. _Probably every day._ “I…….I never thought twice before asking you out to date with me. All I ever thought of was that I wanted to date you and be with you before I died, until I died. But I never thought that I would be leaving you alone, broken and hurt if I did die after coming into your life. I’m…..I’m so sorry for being so selfish.”

Kyungsoo knew that it wasn’t true at all. Selfish was the last thing Park Chanyeol was. If anything, he had the biggest heart. Kyungsoo knew for a fact that Chanyeol had probably spent days and months contemplating and thinking hundred times before finally deciding to ask him out. Chanyeol put a lot of thought in everything he did. He wasn’t selfish at all.

“You’re being absurd right now, you big idiot,” Kyungsoo said fondly, while swiping his thumb under the other’s eyes to wipe off the tears that were now slowly flowing down his face. “Plus, you’re alive now, aren’t you? And I’m pretty sure you’ll be alive for a long time as well. The Park Chanyeol I know is a determined and stubborn fighter. You wouldn’t let a stupid illness get the better of you. And you’re so much healthier now than you were before, aren’t you?”

And at that Chanyeol sniffled and jerkily nodded his head. Kyungsoo smiled.

“You won’t die so soon, Chanyeol. I’ll make sure of that,” his voice was soft, and he let his fingers card through the other’s hair in the way he liked. “We’ll both live together to be old men, making music together in our porch and playing with at least five dogs. So, don’t let those terrible thoughts come into your mind, Yeol. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

Chanyeol blinked at the other and then his lips slowly stretched into a smile. “Soo,” he chuckled. “You know you just expressed your desire to get married to me and live with me.”

At that, Kyungsoo turned into a brilliant red bumbling stuttering mess. He had no idea why his brain-to-mouth filter always failed him so horribly whenever he was with Chanyeol. Normally he had better control over his words. “No…..that’s not what I…..I mean- that we- you- I…I mean- ugh I give up!” he visibly deflated and rubbed his face in tired embarrassment. “So…..you don’t want to get married to me then?”

“What the hell are you talking about? Of course I do!” Chanyeol sounded so indignant that Kyungsoo had to laugh. “Of course I want to marry you! I want our wedding to be grand with a hundred guests…..oh wait, no, you don’t like too many people so let’s forget that. But I want our wedding cake to be huge! Chocolate chip cookie flavored! I wanna live either in the pretty hills or near the sea in one of those romantic cottages they show in romance dramas. I wanna raise ten dogs with you. And I….I….” suddenly Chanyeol flushed red and looked away. “I know that neither of us can make babies together but I wanna raise kids that we will call our own as well.”

The warmth that Kyungsoo felt spreading inside him felt different. It felt good, calming. But it also felt exciting at the same time. He realized that whatever vision of them Chanyeol had imagined, Kyungsoo wanted them all too. He wanted to spend his entire life with Chanyeol. He wanted to love no one but Chanyeol. “Let’s do that then.”

“What?”

“Let’s get married.”

“Wh….what? But we are still high school kids!”

“Of course, I don’t mean getting married now, you doofus!” Kyungsoo laughed at Chanyeol’s confused expression and nudged his shoulder with his own. “But when the time comes, let’s get married. Let’s have the grandest wedding in our locality possible and our moms can bake the best cake in the world. Baekhyun can be your Best Man and Jongdae will be mine. And….we can go to Japan for our honeymoon.”

While Kyungsoo talked, Chanyeol’s face bloomed into his full smile again until his eyes were sparkling. “We could roam the Anime Town in Osaka and explore the Imperial castle in Kyoto!”

“I’d definitely buy one of Zoro’s swords in Osaka.”

“And I’d buy Chopper’s hat!”

“We could try out the Miso-Tonkatsu Ramen that Naruto loves eating so much! And I’d learn how to make the perfect sushi!”

“And we could even go for an X Japan concert!”

“Yeah! And get their signatures too!”

Chanyeol gave the happiest most excited shriek of laughter Kyungsoo had ever heard and launched himself on the latter to engulf him in a bone crushing hug. “This is so exciting! I can’t wait to get married to you!” and he placed a loud and affectionate kiss on Kyungsoo’s forehead making the latter laugh. “We should decide what breed of dogs we should get to pet.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo contemplated. “Personally my favorites are poodles.”

Chanyeol’s eyes lit up once more. “Mine too! Let’s get poodles then!”

Kyungsoo laughed when Chanyeol pulled him in another hug but he didn’t pull away. Instead he melted like he always did in his boyfriend’s warm embrace and soon circled his own hands around Chanyeol’s waist. _Let’s always stay like this together,_ he wanted to say but felt too contented to open his mouth.

“Soo?” Chanyeol had his lips pressed to the crown of Kyungsoo’s head and hence his voice came out soft and muffled. “I love you.”

Kyungsoo felt himself smile against Chanyeol’s chest and buried his face deeper into his boyfriend’s t-shirt. “Me too, Yeol.”

………………………………….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some secrets are finally out. Dun-dun-dun!  
> And I've based Chanyeol's illness slightly to that of Nagisa Furukawa from Clannad (if you haven't watched that anime, do watch it i swear TT it's the best romantic anime ever!) so if you want to know what it is like for Yeollie then just imagine Nagisa-chan (of course, the story overall has got nothing to do with Clannad. Just the illness).  
> And yeah so.....I'm an otaku and both my protagonists are full on otakus as well so a honeymoon planning which just transforms into more of an otaku bucket-list travel planning is hardly surprising at all >_<. Please don't mind me, those who don't understand all those anime references.  
> Anyway, I hope the chapter didn't come out too bad after that long break and I hope you guys liked it. Feel free to leave me reviews and constructive criticisms so that I know how to make it better. Your kudos and support are what keep me going.  
> Cheerio! Until the next chapter \\(^o^)/


	9. Cementing relationships and Paper Chits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm so sorry I didn't update in the time I usually do. Been struggling with a lot of stuff and I'd sort of hit a slight block. Also, if you'd noticed I added another tag. This chapter contains a few themes that I hadn't planned on adding at first but ended up writing about anyway. It might be sensitive so I thought I should add this note.  
> I don't really know how this chapter turned out and I hope it's got the balance of angst and comfort that I had been aiming for. Please do tell me what you think about this chapter. It would mean a lot. Thank you ^^

After what happened the last time, Kyungsoo made himself hyper aware of whatever insecurities Chanyeol had but always kept hidden. He was a little surprised to find out that Chanyeol carried much heavier burdens than he would have ever suspected him to carry. Kyungsoo was so used to likening Chanyeol to the sun or pure happiness that he forgot the boy was only human as well.

For instance, Chanyeol always thought about death. He was always paranoid that every day would be his last and hence he tried to force himself to do things. Maybe try composing two new songs in one day or binge-watch as many episodes of as many anime as possible. He went out of his way to help anyone and everyone he thought needed his help. He studied harder than anyone. He blatantly overworked himself. All because he was scared that he wouldn’t have enough time. Kyungsoo wondered how he’d never noticed it before.

Kyungsoo himself thought that Chanyeol’s fears were a little absurd and he made sure to tell him so multiple times. He still harbored a thought that as long as Chanyeol kept himself healthy and prevented himself from falling ill too often then he would be fine. Or at least he thought he did. He was aware that Chanyeol’s fear sort of affected him as well. Kyungsoo found himself grow more desperate, want more and feel more every time they kissed. Sometimes he wondered if he came on as too overbearing or too strong but Chanyeol never complained. If anything, he encouraged Kyungsoo’s touches and dominated their kisses with his own tongue when Kyungsoo faltered (he had also always been the better kisser out of them anyway.) Kyungsoo found himself wanting to draw as many sounds from Chanyeol as possible, leave as many bluish-purple marks on the milky skin under his shirt as possible. Kyungsoo wanted _more._ But he always hesitated, because the insecure person that he was, he was never sure if Chanyeol wanted it all too. Until, the next time they were both all alone in Chanyeol’s room when his mom and Yoora went out for an errand. Chanyeol broke down that day for some reason. He talked of a nightmare he had seen, something that affected him far more deeply than Kyungsoo would ever understand and completely shed the strong happy personality Park Chanyeol was so well-known for. Kyungsoo had never ever seen his boyfriend so vulnerable and he wanted to help him unwind.

One thing led to another, and somehow Kyungsoo found himself hovering over Chanyeol on the narrow bed, his legs straddling the other’s thighs and both as naked as the day they were born. Kyungsoo remembered ogling Chanyeol’s features, drinking in and mapping everything his eyes saw. He remembered thinking how beautiful a wide-eyed, flushed and gasping Chanyeol looked under him. He remembered with a confusing and contradictory wave of both euphoria and sadness about how much he loved the boy.

“Is this alright, Chanyeol?” he remembered whispering.

Chanyeol had nodded with teary eyes and a brittle smile that still somehow conveyed all the love the giant elf-eared boy held in his heart and Kyungsoo dived headfirst, taking the plunge before he could question it further.

That night, in his own room, Kyungsoo stayed awake for the longest time. He found himself thinking back to the afternoon and what they had done. He kept replaying Chanyeol’s cries, gasps and breathy chants of his own name in his head like a broken record. He recalled every single detail of all the feelings, physical as well as emotional, that he went through while he spread into Chanyeol and fully claimed him as his own. And he remembered after as they both lay on the bed, sweaty and exhausted, Chanyeol had bundled him into a close hug and whispered the softest and tenderest “thank you” in his ear.

The weight of the realization of what they’d done finally settled heavily in Kyungsoo’s gut. With that single act in that one afternoon, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had suddenly left their clueless teenage selves behind and taken a first step towards something more akin to adulthood. He realized how much more that single act cemented their relationship.

_I’ll always be with you, Chanyeol-ah. Until the end, I swear._

Kyungsoo realized with a sudden start and clarification about how much he meant it when he made that promise. But they were just high school kids, people would say. How did they already know that they were the ones for each other? Kyungsoo just knew. And he knew that Chanyeol knew too.

_Kyungsoo._

Kyungsoo closed his eyes, his lips spreading into a tiny smile as he recalled Chanyeol’s voice saying his name while he’d hugged him close and threaded his fingers through the short locks of dark hair.

_Thank you. I love you._

“I love you too, Yeol-ah”

…………………………………

That wasn’t the last of the shadows that would sneak into the light of their relationship and friendship even.

Several months had passed and they were already in the final year of their high school. People still thought that Chanyeol and Seulgi were dating but the four friends (five if you also counted Seulgi) just tuned everyone out. Baekhyun had begun dating again, a girl who was a college student and older than him. Jongdae still stuck to his girlfriend he had been dating since the end of Middle School. And then of course there were Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. Things would’ve continued in the same happy and carefree way if moving to the final year didn’t bring a few certain changes. The changes being the shuffling of sections. Suddenly all of them were put in different sections, with luckily Kyungsoo and Jongdae ending up in the same one and Seulgi ending up with Chanyeol. (Baekhyun wouldn’t stop with his complaints about how he was being treated unfairly by being the only one alone in a different section.)

Despite being in different sections, they still hung out together in every opportunity they found and never let their friendship falter. The first few months passed well, without any difficulties. It was later on that a few things started cropping up.

It was one day when Baekhyun and Kyungsoo poked their heads through the doorway of Chanyeol’s class to call him for lunch, they saw him rummaging through his desk compartment and other desks as well, frantically searching for something.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun’s voice made the said person jump and turn around to face them, wide-eyed and panicked looking. “What’s wrong?”

“My music sheets,” Chanyeol mumbled while resuming his search again. “I can’t find them.”

“Maybe you misplaced them?” Kyungsoo suggested as both him and Baekhyun immediately started helping their friend in his search. “Do you remember where you last put them?”

“I’m pretty sure I put them in my desk,” Chanyeol half-whined as he continued flipping through each and every of his books and notebooks, checking to see if he had accidentally put them in between the pages.

“Well, did you check your locker too?” Baekhyun asked all the while checking Chanyeol’s bag in case the boy had forgotten the sheets there and was now overlooking it. “You know, you are pretty forgetful sometimes Yeol. You could’ve left them there and felt like you had brought them along to class.”

“Maybe,” Chanyeol mumbled, sounding slightly distraught. “But I remember bringing them to class.”

“Let’s just go and check, just in case.”

A quick and thorough search of the locker told them that the music sheets were not there after all. Chanyeol ended up pale-faced and tight-lipped all throughout lunch, for which Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had somehow persuaded him to come. They tried their best to assure Chanyeol that maybe he had forgotten his sheets back at home or maybe they were all there in the music room but he just nodded without a word.

Later, when the day ended, Chanyeol came up to them and informed that he had found the music sheets. But he didn’t look very happy.

“Really?” Jongdae perked up when Chanyeol finished telling them. “Where did you find them?”

“In the trash,” Chanyeol said dejectedly and gave a watery smile. “I’d apparently forgotten them in the canteen or something and the janitor thought they were waste paper so he threw them.”

“Ahh, that was careless of you,” Baekhyun tut-tutted. “And of the janitor too. He should’ve asked around students first if the papers were important or not. We should go and tell the janitor something.”

“No, it’s fine,” Chanyeol interrupted hastily. “I talked to him already. There’s no need for you guys to.”

Kyungsoo however had a nagging thought in the back of his mind that that was not all. He glanced frequently at the skittish behavior Chanyeol executed while he talked, the way he kept his eyes nervously trained to the ground and Kyungsoo had a sudden suspicion that Chanyeol was either lying or hiding something profound from them.

“Chanyeol,” he asked when Chanyeol had stopped causing the boy to start and turn at him with a rather nervous gaze. That further strengthened Kyungsoo’s suspicious. “Are you telling us the whole story?”

“H…Huh?” Chanyeol stuttered a little before steadying his voice again. “Y…yes of course. There is nothing else. Other than the fact that I lost the music I’d been working on for some time now.” And he chuckled sadly.

The thing with Chanyeol was, he was horrible at lying and it was painfully obvious at that moment that there was something he wasn’t telling them. Kyungsoo shared looks with Jongdae and Baekhyun and found that they had realized too. But Chanyeol was also as stubborn as a mule. He would be adamant about keeping his mouth shut if he didn’t want the rest of them to know.

“Chanyeol-ah,” Jongdae finally began with a sigh. “If anything is bothering you, you know that you can tell us right?”

“And _especially_ if it’s a person bothering you,” Baekhyun narrowed his eyes. Kyungsoo had the same thought in his mind. “Don’t hesitate from telling us.”

Chanyeol’s shoulders sagged a little and he gave a small smile. “I know,” he mumbled. “Thanks guys.”

It was only in the late after-school hours when Chanyeol had gone home for a change and the rest of them had stayed back for club activities that Kyungsoo discovered something that confirmed his suspicions in some way.

He’d taken a break from the Culinary Club activity for a bit to rush to the washroom when he saw a torn and soiled piece of paper in one of the urinals. On squinting hard he noticed the black ledger lines now getting smudged because of the dampness and the initials “PCY” in cursive English lettering on the corner. Kyungsoo’s blood ran hot and cold at the same time and on instinct he started making for the toilet cubicles.

The first two stalls were empty save for the usual scrawls left by students on their doors but the last stall gave away what Kyungsoo suspected. There were two or three more of Chanyeol’s sheet music lying on the damp and dirty floor of the toilet stall and on walking forward for further inspection Kyungsoo gasped when he saw more of them forcefully stashed into the toilet bowl. Kyungsoo looked around to see if there were any scribbles around that would give away bullies but not one of them mentioned Chanyeol’s name. Then his eyes roamed towards the wall above the toilet and he noticed a big black smudge that seemed like it was hastily wiped off by someone. But Kyungsoo still caught a faint trace of few of the Hangul characters that made up Chanyeol’s name.

Kyungsoo told the other two when they finally ended with club activities and started getting ready to head back home. Baekhyun and Jongdae were quiet in the beginning when Kyungsoo finished telling them what he had seen. Then Baekhyun lost his temper and slammed a fist on one of the lockers they were standing next to, causing few of the passing students to jump and stare at him.

“Those bastards,” he growled and ran an impatient hand through his hair. “I can’t believe Chanyeol hid this from us though! What was he thinking, that idiot!? I’m angry at him as much as I’m angry at the bullies!”

“Baek, calm down,” Jongdae stated calmly. He was always the most matured one out of them all. But Kyungsoo still caught sight of the fire that was burning in his otherwise calm eyes. “Chanyeol probably had a reason for not telling us. He rarely hides anything from us! Maybe the bullies threatened him using us or something. Or…maybe he wanted to be sure who was behind it all before telling us.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Baekhyun muttered sullenly. “But I’m still really pissed.”

“What I don’t understand is who would even want to bully Chanyeol?” Jongdae frowned. “I mean, he is so well-liked by everyone. Plus, I don’t think he can even hurt a fly let alone a person; enough for even the person to hold a grudge against him.”

“Chanyeol is afraid of flies,” Kyungsoo muttered softly. “Or any insect to be honest.”

That brought out a short laugh from all of them. But Kyungsoo could tell that the three of them returned home that day with the heaviest of hearts.

The following week didn’t see a repeat of something similar to that of the music sheets and Chanyeol was his usual carefree and happy self. Kyungsoo and the others knew because they had been keeping a close watch and were relieved to see that their friend wasn’t targeted by bullies again. They concluded that it was probably a one-time thing and someone had tried playing a sick twisted joke.

But it happened again after a week had passed. It was a little different this time. When Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Jongdae popped up at the classroom doorway to call Chanyeol for recess time they saw him standing stock-still with his back to them and seemingly staring at something in his hands.

“Yo, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun called and Chanyeol jumped violently before turning to face them as well as sheepishly hide something behind his back.

“H…hey,” he stammered out. Which piqued the suspicions of his friends.

“Chanyeol,” Jongdae began cautiously. “What’s that you are hiding?”

“N…nothing! Nothing at all!”

“Please don’t lie.”

“No….really. It’s no-”

“For God’s sake, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun spoke next in exasperation. Chanyeol flinched a little at his tone. “Show us what you are hiding already.”

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo was gentler as he slowly started walking towards the other. “If it’s something serious, please show it to us. We are your friends, aren’t we? Don’t you trust us?”

That finally caused Chanyeol’s shoulders to droop in resignation and he held out what he had been hiding. Baekhyun almost snatched them out of his hands before the three of them started poring through them. It was a few of Chanyeol’s music sheets again. But this time, there were all sorts of vulgar images and rude words doodled all over them in red marker ink. Baekhyun’s hands began to shake in anger.

“Before you guys ask,” Chanyeol spoke out in a soft voice and caused his friends to look at him. “I didn’t tell you guys because I didn’t take it seriously. I thought it would blow over soon and so I didn’t bother worrying you all.”

“Do you have any idea as to who it might be?” Kyungsoo asked as calmly as possible. Inside he was boiling as he repeatedly read a certain insult that was written against Chanyeol on the sheets. **Park Chanyeol, you faggot,** it said. **Go jump into the Han River and drown.**

Chanyeol shook his head. “No, none. I don’t think I even know people that well other than you guys to have enemies.”

“That was exactly what I said,” Jongdae muttered with a frown as he turned to the next page. “We need to keep an eye out and find out who that person is.”

“And if we do find them,” Baekhyun exhaled and glared murderously at the corrupted sheets. “We’re gonna make them pay.”

If only they all had been in the same section together, it would’ve been easier for all of them to watch out for each other’s backs. As it was, they had no idea of what went on in Chanyeol’s class and if the bully (or bullies) was from the same class as him. Unexpectedly, Seulgi confirmed it for them one day when she approached them after school while they were heading out for their respective clubs. Chanyeol wasn’t there with him. They had insisted he go home instead of staying after school for no reason because the chances of bullying then would be so much higher.

“Soo, Baek, Dae,” she had called out, face worried and her usually smiley lips downturned into the slightest of frowns. “There is something I need to talk about with you guys.”

The three of them exchanged looks before nodding at Seulgi to continue. And she jumped straight into the subject.

“Is….is Chanyeol being bullied by someone?” Seulgi asked fearfully. “No wait…let me reiterate. I _know_ he is being bullied. Did…did you guys know about it?”

Kyungsoo’s blood ran cold. He glanced at his friends first and then turned to Seulgi quickly. “What happened in your class? Tell us.”

Seulgi exhaled and ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s go somewhere better to talk.”

They ended up in one of the empty classrooms around and firmly locked the door before settling to talk in hushed tones. Seulgi told them how she had walked into Chanyeol that morning in class wiping the blackboard clean with a duster. He’d smiled cheerfully when she’d greeted him but she caught sight of a few of the words written on the blackboard plus his name before he wiped everything off.

“They were such _dirty_ words,” Seulgi’s voice trembled a little as she spoke. “Such…. _such_ indecent insults! Some told him to die and disappear. I don’t even know how he kept smiling through it all.”

_It’s because Chanyeol is the strongest person I know,_ Kyungsoo thought but he kept it to himself. He waited for Seulgi to continue.

The next thing Seulgi told made Kyungsoo feel a bit grimmer. She talked about students passing chits during class. Those chits weren’t supposed to get to her but she got her hands on one anyway. The chit declared that Chanyeol was a faggot.

“I stayed back after everyone, including Chanyeol, had gone out for break and combed the entire class,” Seulgi muttered. “I found a few more chits. They all said the same thing.”

The boys fell silent after Seulgi finished with all that she had to say. Kyungsoo could feel himself trembling, and when he turned to look at the other two he saw Jongdae sit still and go ghostly pale. Baekhyun in contrast exuded a dark aura, his dark eyes shadowed even more and face crimson with the rage he was holding in. Kyungsoo didn’t know what he felt. He felt fear, indescribable fear yet at the same time he felt white hot anger.

“They found out,” Seulgi sighed in exhaustion. “They found out Chanyeol’s sexuality.”

“And the bullies are in your class,” Kyungsoo concluded, surprising even himself with the iciness in his voice. “Now we need to find out who they are.”

They didn’t have to wait for too long.

After four more days of receiving threats through chits and soiled music sheets, as well as vulgar graffiti on his locker door, Chanyeol was finally confronted face to face by the bullies that had so far retained no identity.

Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo were chatting as they walked towards Chanyeol’s classroom to get him for break when they noticed the commotion taking place in the form of a crowd of students gathering and shoving against each other outside the door of Chanyeol’s classroom. Instantly worried, the three of them rushed to where the classroom was.

“Hey,” Jongdae grabbed the nearest boy by the arm and forced him to look at them. “What’s going on?”

The boy stumbled a little when he saw them, eyes blown wide and only had to stutter out “Park Chanyeol…” before the three of them were roughly shoving aside people left and right and rushing through the doorway into the classroom. They were just in time to see _two_ boys, not one, shove Chanyeol roughly and send him crashing into the desks and benches around and to the floor. Then Baekhyun, ever the hot-tempered one, launched himself onto the two boys and all was mayhem.

Baekhyun was considerably small and had an almost petite frame compared to that of the two bullies but that was exactly why everyone tended to underestimate the former. He was, surprisingly so, a hapkido black belt and managed to deal pretty heavy blows on both of the boys before it took both Jongdae and Kyungsoo to pull him away. He never stopped glowering at the two before him.

Kyungsoo quickly went to help Chanyeol up to his feet while Jongdae held a still furious Baekhyun back. After making sure that Chanyeol was not hurt anywhere, the four of them turned to face the two bullies in front. The bullies were clearly a little more hesitant now, seeing that they were outnumbered four against two but they nevertheless refused to lower their gazes and still arrogantly held up their chins, even if one of them had a busted nose and the other was sporting a bruise on his jaw that was rapidly changing colour. The tension in the air was almost palpable and Kyungsoo could nearly taste the sourness that emanated from both himself and his friends as well as the two opposite them.

“Leave,” Kyungsoo noted with morbid satisfaction at how one of the two bullies flinched at the iciness of his voice. “You forgot that Park Chanyeol has friends. Leave, before we make things unpleasant for you.”

The guy with the bruised jaw spat out a bit of blood and Kyungsoo wondered (with a secret smirk) if Baekhyun had managed to break a tooth as well. “And how will you do that midget? Slap us to death with a handbag?” he sneered and then spat again. “You’re just the same as Park!”

Kyungsoo froze at that comment and a strange fear seized his heart. Did those two boys know about him and Chanyeol? Or were they just making assumptions because they were friends? Kyungsoo didn’t know, and he felt close to losing his composure. Until Baekhyun beside him snarled and snapped him out of his trance.

“How about I rearrange your ugly face for you instead, you bastard,” the furious boy snapped. “I offer free make-over service with my fists for anyone who insults my Soo!”

“Bah! ‘My Soo’ indeed! I’m gonna puke! You all are the same! All four of you,” the guy’s words held so much venom that Kyungsoo was pretty unnerved. “Just some sickos with pretty masks who love playing with dicks!”

“Chanyeol,” Jongdae began seriously but with a glint in his eyes that could only be described as mocking. “I think the poor guy is just distressed and peeved that you never gave him the favors.”

And in the midst of all the suffocating tension, Chanyeol burst out laughing loudly and heartily. Kyungsoo turned back to look at him in surprise and only then did he realize something. Chanyeol was the calmest out of all of them. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in his eyes, which in fact gleamed with the mischief that Kyungsoo knew so well. His lips were curled up in a mocking smile after his laughter subsided. “Damn, Dae! I never even thought of that! Hmm, let’s see,” then he made a show of tapping his chin and seemingly checking out the guys in front of them (also successfully infuriating them further) before he shook his head. “Nah, not my type. He doesn’t seem to have much size to him.”

Jongdae ended up snorting disbelievingly at the blatant mockery and even Baekhyun gave out a loud exhale that could be described as a sort of laugh despite his anger. Kyungsoo found his own lips curling up and he shook his head. It was a good thing that all his friends were clowns.

Their entertainment lasted for a short while before the bullies, extremely riled by their jokes, jumped forward and the next thing Kyungsoo knew he was being choked by the guy with the bruised jaw. In his state of shock and struggle, he could vaguely make out the other guy grappling with Jongdae and Baekhyun and a yelling Chanyeol trying to push away the guy of whose victim Kyungsoo had unfortunately ended up becoming.

The commotion ended as suddenly as it had started when the Students’ Council Members appeared led by Seulgi as well as the Students’ Council Head, Kim Junmyeon and pulled away the two bullies. They tried struggling against the Council but Junmyeon was firm and forced the two to give in. They were determined to not stay quiet and shouted strings of the vilest of abuses at Chanyeol and his friends as they went.

Disheveled and still slightly in shock, Kyungsoo pulled his tie straight and turned to his friends. Jongdae and Baekhyun looked out of breath and their clothes as well as hair were in complete disarray. Baekhyun still sported a scowl while Jongdae looked extremely grim. Then Kyungsoo felt a tugging at his sleeve and turned to see Chanyeol looking at him, pale faced and eyes glistening with worry.

“Are you alright?” his voice was hoarse, no doubt from all the yelling.

Kyungsoo nodded and managed to smile as well. He couldn’t help but laugh internally at the weirdly ironic turn of events. They’d come to save Chanyeol. And now Chanyeol was the one asking him if he was okay instead. They both turned exactly at the same time when Baekhyun let out a loud curse and kicked the nearest desk.

“Baek…” Jongdae began but Baekhyun interrupted him with another loud curse.

“Ahh, to hell with it all,” he growled and turned to glare at the crowd that was still present at the door. They scampered a little when Baekhyun turned his gaze on them. “Why are you all still here? The party’s over, can’t you see?! Or haven’t you guys had your fill of entertainment?!”

The silence from the “spectators” managed to anger Baekhyun even more and he roughly pushed past them to go out of the classroom. “Ya’ll losers are just worthless trash living for the drama. You’re worse than those bullies, y’ hear?!”

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol called out and ran after the boy. Jongdae and Kyungsoo followed.

Baekhyun was still angrily stalking away down the corridor when Chanyeol and the rest caught up to him. “Baekhyun, wait! Calm down!”

“Don’t ‘calm down’ me, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun whipped around and shouted, taking the rest of them aback. “You’ve been hiding stuff from us again? Why didn’t you tell us there were bullies writing threats to you on the blackboard? Why didn’t you tell us you were being insulted by the whole class exchanging chits about you? Why did we have to find it all out from Seulgi instead? Huh? Why….why…don’t you trust us?”

At the last sentence, Baekhyun’s voice broke and the anger suddenly faded to show the hurt in his eyes. Chanyeol immediately put both his hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“Of course I trust you guys! Baek, what a stupid thing to say!” Chanyeol actually laughed and when he turned to look at all of them, they saw the honesty in his eyes. “I never bothered telling you guys about them because I didn’t care about all those shit at all and I thought it totally wasn't worth telling you guys and worrying for no reason over them! The bullies, the insults, the judgments…..I don’t care about any of them! I don’t even care if the whole school turns against me! Because I know I have you guys. I know you guys support me more than anyone else. And frankly, that’s enough for me, really.”

Kyungsoo felt a stab right at his heart when Chanyeol finished his little speech. It was a good sort of stab though, the one that made him feel warm all over. He sent a look towards Jongdae and saw him wearing a warm smile.

“But…those bullies,” Baekhyun started speaking again. “They pushed you….they…they fucking called you things you are not! They…hurt you…hurt my friend…they…” and then he gave a sob and ended up in tears.

“Aw, Baekhyun-ah~” Chanyeol cooed and wrapped him in a hug. “Are you crying for me? How cute!”

“Shut up! I would _not_ cry for an idiot like you!”

Kyungsoo watched the heartwarming scene unfold before him with a soft smile before Jongdae unexpectedly grabbed his arm and pulled him forward with his booming yell of “group hug!!!!!” Suddenly he found himself being wrapped together by three pairs of arms and cheek getting wet by Baekhyun’s tears (and probably snot, Kyungsoo thought with a shudder). Amidst Jongdae’s loud yells, Baekhyun half crying and half laughing and Chanyeol’s resounding laughter Kyungsoo found himself grinning wider than he ever did. He thought for the umpteenth time how much he loved his friends.

_You guys are the best,_ he thought as he wrapped his own arms around the three of them.

………………………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea of adding the bullying bit to the story because I recently ended up reading Holland's story and frankly it angered me beyond explanation. The extent to which high school students bullied him just because he came out as gay to a "friend" who happened to be a sneak was so outrageous. People can be so nasty, can't they? Maybe this chapter was sort of a rant against that, and maybe I'm Baekhyun in this chapter *shrugs*.
> 
> Anyhow, I know the bullying bit in this chapter might have come out as rather out of the blue and with very little explanation but I'll explain it soon enough in the next chapter. I hope I haven't seemed like I deviated from the plot. If I have, I can assure you that I have the ending planned. And....dare I give a spoiler?...It's not a sad ending. No one's gonna die (though it actually was the plan in the beginning ^^;) since I don't have the heart to do that to ChanSoo, or even Baek and Dae and the main content of this fic is fluff anyway, apart from the pockets of angst here and there. So....there you go!
> 
> Also, in the first bit, the reason I talk about sex that way is because Asian countries are still pretty conservative (I'm Asian so I know so) and sex is considered like a final factor that cements a relationship. Well, in recent times lines have been blurring and even youngsters have sex but this timeline is slightly older.....maybe 2007-8? Something like that. Ehh, I'm just blabbering, I'm pretty sure you guys get it!
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter <3\. Give me kudos and reviews if you think I deserve them and I welcome constructive criticism as well. Just please don't be mean ^^; I'm bad at handling meanness. Thank you for all the support once again. I love you, fellow Eris! <3


	10. S'mores and Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. I had ahh....issues. Well, here is the next chapter. I hope you guys like it. This chapter is uneditted since i wrote it in a hurry so please excuse all the errors.

“Min Dongho and Lee Saeran,” the four of them stopped shoveling ramyeon into their mouths and stared as Seulgi flopped down on the seat next to them in the canteen. “Those are the names of those two bullies.”

“And what about them?” Baekhyun talked while he still had ramyeon in his mouth and ended up getting smacked hard on the arm by Kyungsoo for his lack of manners. He shot the latter a stink-eye before turning back to Seulgi curiously.

“They already had bullying charges piled on top of themselves before. So it wasn’t much of a problem having them expelled,” Seulgi continued. “Plus apparently both of them used to be members of the local student thug gang in the past. But they both were kicked out thankfully. If they had still been members of the gang then you guys would’ve been in deeper trouble.”

All of them simultaneously released sighs of relief. A huge load had suddenly been lifted off their shoulders when they heard the good news that the two of them were no longer going to be there to pick on them, or Chanyeol to be more precise. Kyungsoo however frowned as he thought about the bullying.

“Seulgi,” he began. “Did you also find out the reason why they bullied Chanyeol though? It couldn’t have been just the sexuality, could it?”

“No, it wasn’t just the sexuality,” Seulgi answered, proving Kyungsoo’s suspicions correct. “Dongho apparently held a grudge against Chanyeol. Saeran was more of a lackey.”

“A grudge?” Chanyeol exclaimed. “But what for? I had never even talked to them before.”

“Oh, a variety of reasons. Mostly petty,” Seulgi began uncomfortably. “He was jealous of all the attention you got right after you arrived in school. And even if he was pretty much a thug, Dongho had the best scores in our class. Until you beat him the first test that is. And…..ah…..another reason is me…”

The four of them stared at her until Seulgi whined about being uncomfortable of them scrutinizing her so much. “You?” Baekhyun echoed. “But how are you involved?”

“Dongho…was one of those guys who consistently kept trying to court me,” Seulgi revealed with a sigh. “Of course I kept turning him down but that only made him follow me around more. I guess the rumor about me and Chanyeol dating enraged him because he was already jealous of Chanyeol as it is. I guess that’s why he decided to make his life miserable.”

“Well, what about Chanyeol’s sexuality?” Jongdae asked the very question Kyungsoo was itching to ask. “How did Dongho find out about that? None of us told anyone anything.”

“I don’t really know,” Seulgi looked just as perplexed as Kyungsoo felt. “Maybe he saw Chanyeol and Kyungsoo being intimate together….maybe he just made it all up and doesn’t even know Chanyeol is actually bisexual just to get back at him. We’ll never know.”

The five of them fell silent for a bit before deciding to stop thinking about it all and just go on with their lunch.

Kyungsoo wanted to dearly say that after the bullies got apprehended, things were back to normal for them. But sadly, that wasn’t the case at all. Courtesy of Min Dongho, the fact that Chanyeol was not straight spread across the whole school like wildfire. Completely in contrast to how they had flocked around the guy when he had first arrived, people now avoided him like he was the Plague himself. While most people just chose to either awkwardly look away and avoid meeting his eyes there were many who wore open disgust on their faces every time they passed by him. Some spat out insults. Either way, Park Chanyeol’s status suddenly went from being the High School Heart Throb to the Resident Gay Kid. Kyungsoo resisted the urge to punch every person he passed by the hallways. _Stupid hypocrites._

Because Chanyeol was treated with contempt, his friends weren’t let off the hook either. They were shunned for the sole fact that they were friends with Chanyeol. But that just made them be with Chanyeol closer than ever. Kyungsoo suspected that Dongho had probably seen him and Chanyeol making out and that was how he came to know because the people gave him as many homophobic glares as they gave Chanyeol. Baekhyun and Jongdae probably realized as well because they suddenly took it upon themselves to act as both of their bodyguards. 

It was to get away from all the negativity that Baekhyun and Jongdae planned out a three day outdoor camping break once fall rolled in. It wasn’t anywhere far away and was based in the hills surrounding their locality. Along with Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo even Sehun and Jongin joined. Chanyeol had to persuade his mother for a long time before being able to join. They spent a week worth of just planning back and forth about what to do while they were in the camp and what to take or not take. They decided on taking a total of three tents, which would house two of them each.

“Okay, so here are the rules me and Jongdae chalked up,” Baekhyun began as he stood up from the chair in Chanyeol’s room where they were all seated as usual. He rapidly skimmed his eyes over the paper he held and cleared his throat. “Rule number one, we have a bonfire night every day and you can choose what you would like to roast in the fire.”

“S’mores!” Sehun immediately shouted.

“Chicken,” Jongin earned a round of laughter from his enthusiastic reply. They all knew the boy’s obsession with chicken.

“I could make kebabs for you guys. I recently learned a recipe,” Kyungsoo offered and was immediately met with excited agreeing and cheering. Kyungsoo’s cooking was a well-loved commodity amongst all of them.

“Provided you get your ingredients, Soo. _We_ know nothing about cooking,” Baekhyun laughed and turned back to the paper again. “Now, Rule number two, we stick close to each other and don’t go anywhere without informing someone. Even if we do go away for needs or anything, we don’t go too far from the campsite.”

Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow. “For a change, you actually thought up a pretty thoughtful rule, Baekhyun.”

“Um, actually,” Jongdae began. “I wrote that rule.”

Kyungsoo snorted while Chanyeol started chuckling. “What did I even expect?”

“Hey!” Baekhyun complained indignantly while waving the paper in front of Kyungsoo’s face. “My rules are good too!”

“Sure~” Kyungsoo drawled and then gestured with his hand. “Go on to the next rule.”

“Rule number three,” this time Baekhyun wore an extremely mischievous smirk. “No sexual activities of any sort when we are in camp because it will disturb the others. We all know who this applies to.”    

The entire room dissolved into loud fits of laughter while both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol turned comically red on the face simultaneously and subconsciously inched a little bit away from each other. Kyungsoo turned to glare at Baekhyun who was still wiping away tears of mirth from his eyes. “Byun Baekhyun, I’m not giving you any kebabs when I make them.”

They went on to discuss the rest of the rules all the while poking fun and pulling each other’s legs as well as drew up a list of all the things they would need to take. Due to all the fun and games in between, the sorting out of lists took much longer than expected and at the end, the ever hospitable Mrs. Park persuaded all of them to stay back for dinner. Due to her experience from working in the family restaurant as well as her immense skills in cooking, she whipped up a meal fit to be called a banquet in no time, much to the delight of the youngsters. The Park Household’s dinner table that night was much merrier than it had been in a long time.

The remaining days passed with the six of them hardly managing to contain their excitement. The four elder ones wouldn’t keep shut about the plan and talked about it every time they met up during the recess hours and P.E. classes (even though Chanyeol was exempted he still snuck up to hang out with them.) It was a good form of distraction because having an event to look forward to made them tune out the hostile looks everyone else gave them. Soon enough they got their three day long holiday for Chuseok. Laden with camping gear, rucksacks and containers full of songpyeon, numerous varieties of jeon that Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had made together and of course, a jar of kimchi, the six of them were driven to the campsite they had chosen by Mrs. Park who owned a car. Chuseok usually required individuals to stay at home and spend the time paying respects to ancestors and relatives but the six of them were lucky to have lenient families. Their families knew that they needed the break.

“Wow!” Jongin exclaimed and then turned to Jongdae with a whine. “Hyung, how come you knew of such a pretty place and never told me about it? It’s not fair!”

Jongdae chuckled and flicked his younger brother on the forehead. “Well, now you know, don’t you?”

“I think you boys should put up the tents first,” Mrs. Park who had helped them get out all of their luggage from the car spoke up. “Get everything prepared and all before you have fun.”

They bid farewell to Mrs. Park after she finally decided to leave after much well-wishing, telling the boys to be careful and nagging as well as reminding Chanyeol at least twenty times to take his medicines on time. They stood and watched fondly as she drove away all the while yelling at them to finish the songpyeon before it got bad.

“She’s like a mom to all of us,” Sehun stated and the rest couldn’t help but agree.

“Who agrees on having a race to putting up a tent the fastest?” Baekhyun suddenly piped up. “Dibs on Jongdae for being my teammate and tent mate. We would definitely win!”

“Agreed!” Sehun piped up immediately. “Me and Jongin then. The lovers obviously need to be together.”

Amidst all the snickers, Kyungsoo shot Sehun an annoyed look and shrugged. “The winner gets extra songpyeon and a larger helping of kimchi. Losers will have to collect firewood.”

“Done!” everyone yelled in unison and rushed to grab their respective tents. The excitement was high in the air.

“This is so much fun!” Chanyeol exclaimed in glee as he dutifully helped Kyungsoo carry the tent.

As it turned out, Baekhyun and Jongdae who were the most enthusiastic ended up coming the last because they spent half of the time fumbling with everything and having no idea what went where and then ending up bickering about it (Kyungsoo thought it was amazing how the two of them spent almost all of their time together bickering back and forth yet still being as close as two well-oiled gears. You couldn’t think of Jongdae without thinking of Baekhyun and vice versa.) Sehun and Jongin performed better but were still rather clumsy so they were only a little bit behind Chanyeol and Kyungsoo who emerged victorious.

“It’s not fair!” Baekhyun pointed an accusatory finger at the winning duo who had done a little victory dance after finishing their tent (well, more like Chanyeol picked up Kyungsoo and spun him around in happiness.) “You guys winning can’t count because you guys are lovers! And plus I’m pretty sure you’ve put up a tent before, Kyungsoo.”

To which Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. “This is the first time I’m even camping out. Stop being such a sore loser, Baek.”

“Hahaha, Baek you’re a loser,” Chanyeol teased childishly while poking Baekhyun’s arm. “And I’m getting extra pieces of songpyeon and you aren’t.”

“Just because you are freakishly good in everything you do,” Baekhyun grumbled and grabbed Jongdae’s arm as he started to walk away. “Come on, Dae. Let’s leave the annoying lovebirds and get the damn wood. Sehun and Jongin tag along.”

The two youngsters complained but nevertheless followed their elders into the woods that surrounded the little clearing they had set their temporary home in. In a matter of minutes, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were the only ones left beside the tents with their flapping covers and the rucksacks strewn carelessly around.

“So…” Chanyeol began, stretching the last “o” as he turned to the other beside him. “What should we do now?”

“We should set up the portable grill we got,” Kyungsoo answered seriously as he turned to the said item. “And start getting some food ready. I’m pretty sure we all are hun….gry….” the last word stuttered out and Kyungsoo ended up giving a faint gasp when he felt the two arms sliding around his waist in an excruciatingly slow and sensual way possible and his giant of a boyfriend nuzzling his nose to his neck.

“I’m definitely hungry,” Kyungsoo tried not to shudder as Chanyeol’s warm breath fanned across his neck, helping in the goose-bumps breaking out. “I’m hungry for you, Soo.”

If Chanyeol wasn’t currently trying to seduce him, Kyungsoo would’ve hit his arm and called him a cheesy sap. But the words merely caused his heart to thud faster and his cheeks to flush. “Chanyeol…” he began but his breath hitched again when Chanyeol tenderly nibbled the lobe of his ear.

“Soo,” Chanyeol, the nerve of him, actually purred while tightening his arms a little bit more and Kyungsoo did all he could to swallow down the groan that almost escaped his lips. “We are alone. Let me have a little bit?”

The lilt in his voice at the end made Kyungsoo snap and he whipped around, pushing the other down and pinning him on the grass. Chanyeol squawked in surprise as Kyungsoo hovered over him, eyes dark and lips unsmiling, slightly parted. “Kyungsoo?”

“Why do you keep teasing me, Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo murmured as he inched closer to the boy beneath him. “Do you want to get punished?”

To which Chanyeol’s lips broke out into a wide grin and he giggled much like a shy girl. “I wanted to be the top this time, but this is okay too.”

Kyungsoo smirked and pecked him softly first before giving a much more demanding kiss. “Nah, I like devouring you better,” he mumbled against the other’s lips while nipping on them.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Chanyeol’s voice was soft and teasing. “Have me already.”

Kyungsoo wanted nothing better than to rip his boyfriend’s clothes that very moment. But he had better self-control. And so, he supported himself with his arms as he leaned over the other, drinking in the facial features, the plump kiss-swollen lips, the nose with the cute mole on its tip and equally dark brown eyes that screamed in want and then delved into a deep kiss. Chanyeol responded immediately, going pliant as putty under Kyungsoo’s commanding hands and lips, and let the other do anything he wanted as always. This side of Chanyeol always made him so crazy that Kyungsoo had a hard time trying not to let the thing go too far. He kissed once, twice, thrice and then suddenly stopped and pulled away. Chanyeol immediately whined, his face contorted into a pout. “Soo! Come back~!”

“No, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said firmly, though his look turned more fond as he took in the sight of a pouting boyfriend sitting up on the grass like a disgruntled child. “I am _not_ having sex with you completely out in the open and with Baekhyun and the others returning any moment. Plus we really need to set out the songpyeon before it gets too cold.”

“You’re the worst,” Chanyeol grumbled as he stood and dusted his clothes off the dirt, making Kyungsoo chuckle.

“And I love you too, Chanyeol.”

And as the two of them went about setting up the grill along with the tiny kerosene stove and heating up the jeon as well as preparing a bit of boiled rice and miso soup from the ingredients and utensils they brought, Chanyeol still managed to corner Kyungsoo and give him a quick hickey on the under-side of his jaw.

“I told you I was hungry,” Chanyeol defended himself with the most innocent of faces but mischievous sparkling eyes and Kyungsoo nearly lost his resolve and almost tackled the other down to the grass again.

When the others returned with the firewood, Baekhyun wasn’t very pleased when he saw the darkening bruise on Kyungsoo’s jaw.

“We’ve been here for like, what, about two hours and a half and you two go at it already?” he grumbled accusingly while shoving the hot rice and kimchi into his mouth. “You guys are disgusting.”

“If you guys do break the rule and do it at night, please don’t be too loud,” Jongdae stated. “I would like to have my goodnight’s sleep without you two haunting my dreams, thank you very much. And oh, I hope you remembered protection.”

Kyungsoo, as usual, ignored the two and ladled out generous servings of miso soup.

They had their first campfire that night and roasted marshmallows on sticks. They had to stop Sehun, who had an immense sweet-tooth, from hogging too much of it at one go. After the eating had lessened, they went on to play old-fashioned games and chase each other around, as well as sit huddled together when Jongin opted to share a few ghost stories that he knew of which then led to the others piping up with their own stories and then it went on to become a full-fledged story-telling session. Then Chanyeol fetched the guitar he had brought with himself and the six of them spent the rest of the night singing songs they mutually knew and liked as well as playing a game of singing a song from the last syllable of the previous song.

They turned in to bed a little close to midnight, wishing each other loudly and bickering about when to wake up next morning. Kyungsoo snuggled into his sleeping bag, trying to keep himself properly warm against the chilly night air. After the past few difficult days, his heart felt full for the first time. It had been so long since he’d properly enjoyed the outdoors that he’d almost forgotten how good it felt. Over the years, his unparalleled love for the outdoors had waned and he wondered why he’d transformed from the playful boy into a shut-in.

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol beside him muttered, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Thank you.”

Kyungsoo turned around to face his boyfriend, despite the dark. He caught sight of the glistening sheen that he knew were Chanyeol’s eyes. “What for?”

“When we were eleven and first became friends, I expressed my desire to play outdoors and you promised that you would take me one day when I was better,” Chanyeol spoke softly while his fingers caressed Kyungsoo’s hair. “And now I’m here, no longer a shut-in in my house, and camping with you guys. You’ve kept your promise. You always do. Thank you….Kyungsoo.”

For some reason, that made Kyungsoo feel rather emotional. He brought up his own hand and laced his fingers with Chanyeol’s. “You have nothing to thank me for, Yeol-ah,” he murmured. “You got better because you are so strong; you are the strongest person I know. Give yourself more credit. I was only there to support you.”

“You should give yourself credit too, Soo. I was only strong because you became my friend,” Chanyeol said in reply as he brought both of their hands to his lips and kissed Kyungsoo’s knuckles lovingly. “And now…you are so much more to me. I would do anything to fight through and live for you.”

Kyungsoo’s heart swelled at those words. He smiled widely even though he knew Chanyeol wouldn’t be able to see it in the dark. He rubbed his thumb in circles over the other’s hands, wanting to express how he loved him but not being able to find the proper words. Then he heard Chanyeol hum and chuckle and his eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing,” Chanyeol chuckled again, deep and soft. “I just realized that this is the first time we are spending a night together, sleeping side by side and I wonder why we never had sleep-overs when we were younger.”

The question struck Kyungsoo and his jaw slung open. “Now that you mention it,” he began. “Why indeed?”

Chanyeol laughed this time, low and melodious and Kyungsoo fell in love all over again. “We really are very weird.”

The next day, they explored the woods because Baekhyun mentioned there was a lake nearby. He had come to the same place ages before with his family and so he knew the most about it.

“The lake is safe waters,” Baekhyun explained. “And campers are allowed to swim in it so we can have a swim if we successfully find it today.”

They did find the lake. It was in a clearing that suddenly spanned out after the woods thinned down to a small thicket. It was more of a big pond than a lake but the boys didn’t care. They immediately stripped themselves off their clothes, standing on swimming shorts and shivering slightly against the cool breeze and then kicking off their shoes, jumped directly into the lake. The still air of the woods was suddenly punctuated by the gleeful yells of the boys as they paddled about and tried to get used to the stinging cold of the water.

Chanyeol was the only one who didn’t go in. Because his immune system was weak and he was more susceptible to strong fevers than the others, he opted to be wise and safe than be reckless and risk falling ill. He dutifully folded the messily strewn clothes of the others and sat watching them play with a smile on his face. Kyungsoo had initially tried to stay back to keep Chanyeol company but then Baekhyun and Jongdae grabbed him on either side and almost dragged him fully clothed into the lake before he stopped them in exasperation and then got out of his clothes all the while grumbling and then let the duo throw him into the water.

After the swim was over, they came back on shore shivering and gratefully huddled around the small fire Chanyeol had made, wrapped in towels and sipping hot cocoa that Chanyeol had brewed while they were splashing around. Chanyeol coddled all of them like a Mother hen, especially Kyungsoo and the two youngest members and toweled their hair for them. Baekhyun and Jongdae accused him of favoritism until he relented and dried their hair as well.

The third and final day of their camp out, they decided to spend in a more relaxed way. They spent the morning lazing around and occasionally playing dodge-ball. Then they sat around and played Mafia as well as 007 bang for as long as possible, with the one who lost getting hit repeatedly by the others. And as evening came around, Kyungsoo started up the grill and soon enough delicious smells of several dishes started wafting in the air. The others watched with muted anticipation as well as awe as he went about skillfully handling more than one dish on the grill and the tiny stove simultaneously with Chanyeol acting as his sous chef.

Before long they had a big spread of food before them that consisted of the promised beef kebabs, three different chicken dishes, kimchi spaghetti which was Kyungsoo’s signature dish, barbecued samgyeopsal which was Chanyeol’s favorite, even barbecued pork ribs as well as rice and a platter of an original tteokbokki recipe that Chanyeol had come up with. The rest of them whistled and blurted out endless praise when they saw and smelled the spread.

“Whoa! Our Kyungsoo and Chanyeol really outdid themselves today,” Baekhyun spoke in a wondrous voice while staring hungrily at every dish on the picnic mat. “I can’t wait to just dig in.”

“Three different chicken dishes!” Jongin exclaimed in glee. “Hyung, you are the best!”

“Dibs on the pork ribs,” Jongdae called out decisively, plopping down to sit on the mat while holding his bowl. “I get the first piece.”

“Then I call dibs on the spaghetti. Kyungsoo hyung’s kimchi spaghetti is the best,” Sehun sat down next to Jongdae and then whined. “I wish I had bubble tea to complete it with!”

“Just dig in with whatever you want,” Kyungsoo smiled as he and Chanyeol sat side by side, already beginning to ladle out the food. He loved it when his friends loved his food so much and that’s why he worked harder every day to get better at cooking.

They had the merriest of meals that night with the best and most loved of food and company. By the end of the loud joking and enthusiastic eating, the plates were all scraped clean of the tiniest drop of sauce and the boys leaned back groaning from being too full but wearing smiles of absolute satisfaction on their faces. They gathered around the campfire for the last time and sang songs once more while Chanyeol strummed on the guitar, jamming to popular and equally loved pop acts like TVXQ and several others. Then when the rest stopped out of exhaustion from singing too much, Chanyeol sang his favorite soft rock songs and the others wallowed in the comfort of his deep, rough but soothing voice.  

Kyungsoo’s eyes slipped close and he felt his lips lift up involuntarily as Chanyeol’s voice washed over him, relishing on the melodic rendition of the chorus from The Beatles. He and Chanyeol shared a similar love for western rock bands and Kyungsoo had more or less the identical playlist as that of Chanyeol. He occasionally hummed along quietly in parts that sounded good with harmony.

_There will be an answer, let it be._

Kyungsoo felt like the lyrics were for them, like John Lennon was telling them not to give up and keep fighting and he inwardly agreed. He cherished his relationships; his bonds with his friends, his and Chanyeol’s family, loving Chanyeol as his other half and he wanted to keep them all even when things seemed bad. _Let it be,_ he thought to himself. _The answer will come soon._

They were reluctant to wrap up for the night because it was the last one in the pretty campsite that they had grown immensely fond of. But when the clock struck midnight, they decided they needed to, since they were leaving pretty early. Calling their goodnights and going about their nightly duties, they extinguished the campfire and turned in to bed.

Kyungsoo was returning from the tiny creek nearby after brushing, when he caught of Chanyeol’s silhouette sitting in the dark next to the now dead campfire, head slightly tilted upwards. Curious as to why his boyfriend was sitting all alone instead of settling in the tent, Kyungsoo plodded towards the figure that had a touch of melancholy to it.

“Hey,” he called out causing Chanyeol to stir as if coming out from a dream. “Why are you sitting out here?”

“The stars,” Chanyeol answered with a soft smile. “They are so pretty tonight.”

Kyungsoo sat next to him and turned to look at the sky after he heard that. He immediately took in a sharp breath. For the sky was pin-pricked with millions of silvery dots that looked like diamonds suspended in the heavens. Kyungsoo had never seen this many stars in his life time. He must’ve had his mouth hanging open because he heard Chanyeol chuckle at him from the side.

“Have you never star-gazed before, Kyungsoo?”

“Frankly, no,” Kyungsoo muttered, the awe plainly visible in his voice. “This is the first time I’m actually paying attention to the night sky.”

“Well, I’m glad you are now otherwise you would be missing out on something amazing,” Chanyeol answered smiling fondly at the other before turning his gaze back to the sky. “I’ve always loved star-gazing. When I was younger, I would go to our attic to look out at the sky from the window. But the stars are never this pretty from our town.”

“I agree,” Kyungsoo murmured with a soft smile of his own. “I guess that’s why I never noticed it until now.”

Chanyeol smiled again and linked his fingers around Kyungsoo’s. “When I look at the stars, I feel like I have a companion,” he spoke again. “It was more so when I was younger. I was always so alone. But the stars made me feel less lonely.” Kyungsoo’s heart clenched as he heard the boy reveal another insecurity he had kept hidden for so long. “During our early days of being friends, you refused to come into the house and always left so early. Those days, I somehow felt lonelier because I never wanted you to leave. But, now you are here, looking at stars with me.”

“Now I’m here,” Kyungsoo echoed with a warm smile and squeezed Chanyeol’s hand. “I was always there and will always be there for you Chanyeol.”

“I’m so happy with you, Soo,” Chanyeol was smiling widely, his eyes looking suspiciously wet. Then he shyly ducked his head, the pink on his cheeks visible because of the luminescent glow the stars and the crescent moon bathed everything with. “If…if you don’t mind I would like to keep you forever. Can I?”

Kyungsoo felt an overwhelming wave of love for the other boy and he laughed out a “you’re such a sap” before laying a hand on the other’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss. It was soft, gentle and filled with so much adoration that Kyungsoo felt dizzy with euphoria. Somewhere in between the kiss, Chanyeol started crying, warm tears spilling down his cheeks and Kyungsoo brushed them away fondly before kissing him again.

“Don’t cry,” Kyungsoo spoke softly, as he ran his thumbs under Chanyeol’s eyes. “You look better smiling.”

“I’m so happy,” Chanyeol sobbed quietly, while leaning into Kyungsoo’s touch. “I’m so happy, Soo.”

They both kissed once more, long and loving under the starry skies, multitudes of galaxies looking down at two boys so overwhelmingly in love with each other. Kyungsoo hoped that someone up there was looking down at them too and blessing them so that Chanyeol would never stop exclaiming about being happy; so that Kyungsoo himself would be this filled with happiness. He thought of nothing but Chanyeol, in front of him, gentle and soft, and wanted no one else. He ignored the distinctive sound of the shutter clicking that came from one of the tents, he couldn’t care to think about which, and only focused on the boy in front of him. Kyungsoo wanted this to never end, as they pulled away and looked at each other with mutual adoration and equally soft smiles.

_Let’s be like this until the end._

(When they got ready to head back, Jongdae slipped a Polaroid picture in Kyungsoo’s hand. It was a captured image of Kyungsoo and Chanyeol’s silhouettes kissing under the night sky. “You’ll thank me for this,” Jongdae merely stated with his wide cat-like smile when Kyungsoo stared at him.)

…………………………

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make this fluffy and soft because of the crap they went through in the previous chapter. Also...the fic is nearing it's end soon!! I will try to update as fast as possible to make up for all the days i had missed.


	11. Trust and Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back and I'm sorry I took so long :(  
> I was busy with college assignments as well as voting for EXO in the BBMAs. Plus things haven't been very good for me and i didn't want to write.  
> That aside though, I managed to get this in just in time for our Baekhyunee's birthday. Happy Birthday to our lovable Bobohu <3  
> I think this is my least favorite chapter though since I feel like my writing has degraded after that unnecessarily long break. But nevertheless, I hope you guys like it. A little bit of warning, this chapter is gonna be angsty.

Chuseok passed too soon for Kyungsoo’s liking and the pressure of their high school graduation exams started building up on them as well. There were no more frequent meet ups or get-togethers as all of them worked frantically for their exams, attended streams of extra classes and group study sessions. Kyungsoo turned into even more of a recluse as he shut himself in and studied endlessly. He didn’t leave his house for a long time.

He was aware that he was probably starting to worry his family and friends with his excessive studying if his mother’s frequent visits to his room and his friends calling him up on his phone much more often were anything to go by. But Kyungsoo couldn’t stop studying and stressing out. Graduation was too near and he had big ambitions about the college he wanted to study in. He was scared he wouldn’t be able to make it.

It was during the second week of him slaving away over his books next to the penguin shaped desk lamp at 2 AM in the morning when he heard a rattling against his window. Baffled and a little unnerved (because who the hell chucks pebbles at window panes at 2 AM?) he slowly made his way to the window and cautiously parted the curtains. He almost fell over in surprise when he saw Chanyeol standing below, looking up with his familiar wide grin. Kyungsoo quickly threw open the windows and Chanyeol’s smile grew even wider.

“What the hell are you doing here at this hour?” Kyungsoo tried to speak as softly as possible yet as audibly possible for his boyfriend below. Chanyeol merely waved his hands and motioned for Kyungsoo to open the back door. He still wore his bright grin.

Kyungsoo sighed. He really didn’t want to sneak past his parents’ room in the ground floor and open the back door at this ungodly hour but neither did he want to leave Chanyeol outside in the cold. As much as walking around a pitch dark house at 2 AM made him paranoid (he had to admit he did believe in ghosts and evil spirits) he cared about his boyfriend more. So Kyungsoo found himself tip-toeing as cautiously as possible down the stairs and past his parents’ room and softly turning the knob of the back door to swing it open and let his grinning, bumbling boyfriend in.

Chanyeol, very unexpectedly of him, managed to keep as quiet as a mouse while Kyungsoo held his wrist and pulled him up the stairs to his room. Once they were inside the room however Chanyeol pulled onto Kyungsoo and enveloped him in a tight hug, almost knocking the breath out of the smaller boy.

“Soo-yah~” he crooned while rocking their bodies back and forth. “I missed you so much!”

“Chanyeol, we met in school” Kyungsoo spoke out with some difficulty. “Also, you’re gonna make my glasses fall off my nose.”

Chanyeol pulled away then and leaned down to scrutinized Kyungsoo’s face. He pulled off the thick glasses the latter wore and frowned. “Kyungsoo, how much sleep are you depriving yourself from?” he chastised. “Look at how dark the marks under your eyes are! You need to sleep at once!”

“I’m fine, really,” Kyungsoo muttered, even as he began feeling the tell-tale signs of exhaustion on his body as soon as Chanyeol mentioned sleep and resisted the yawn that threatened to come. “But shouldn’t you be sleeping as well, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol snorted in reply. “How can I when my boyfriend is studying himself to death and pulling off goodness knows how many all-nighters?” he pushed Kyungsoo on the chair as he spoke and turned him around so that the latter’s back faced him. “I want to help you relax. Here, let me massage your head and your shoulders.”

“I’m fine….” Kyungsoo almost began again but stopped as soon as Chanyeol’s fingers found themselves on his scalp pressing and massaging expertly at the right spots that made him almost melt. It felt too good and Kyungsoo nearly purred in his pleasure.

“Feels good?” Chanyeol’s voice was teasing but soft. “Yoora Noona used to bully me a lot into massaging her head and shoulders so I’ve gotten pretty expert at it.”

Kyungsoo merely hummed in reply and tilted his head slightly to the right side. “Mm, can you press here near my neck? It hurts a little there.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Chanyeol chuckled a little as he moved his hands all the while massaging from his head to his neck. Kyungsoo shuddered a little at the borderline sensual movement and let out a satisfied groan when Chanyeol began pressing the tight muscles there.

“Keep going. Ugh, nice,” Kyungsoo murmured as Chanyeol’s fingers then tapped on his shoulders, asking if he needed massaging there too. “Oh, this feels good.”

Chanyeol gave a groan of his own. “Kyungsoo, stop with those sounds,” he complained, without pausing his massaging. “You’ll begin to turn me on.”

It was then that Kyungsoo realized that he hadn’t even properly kissed Chanyeol all these days, much less touch him. The sudden wave of desire and want that filled his body was almost overwhelming and he whipped around to look at the other, causing Chanyeol to get startled. “What say we have a round now?”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed. “Right now?” he questioned. “But Soo, you’re too tired.”

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo dismissed instead and looked at Chanyeol with insistent eyes. “I haven’t had you in so long. I can really do this.”

“I don’t know, Soo,” Chanyeol still frowned. “I mean of course I would love to do it but you’re exhausted and you haven’t even been sleeping well. I don’t know if we should….”

“Chanyeol~” Kyungsoo whined, rather shocking himself because he never whined. He realized he was pretty desperate now. “Pretty please? I’ll do everything you want me to do. But I really want to do this.”

Chanyeol cocked an eyebrow and then sighed. “This is so not like you. Come here,” he murmured and taking both his hands, led Kyungsoo to the bed and sat side by side. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you? You are acting weird and needy and that’s something _I_ do, not you.”

It was always amazing how perceptive Chanyeol was when it came to Kyungsoo. He could easily knock aside every façade Kyungsoo put up and reach the more vulnerable, fearful Kyungsoo that always tried to hide. Pretty soon his stiff posture all but crumbled and he felt himself leaning against Chanyeol for support.

“I’m just very worried….and so scared,” he mumbled out, while Chanyeol rubbed soothing circles on his back. “I don’t know. I keep feeling things aren’t going to turn out right.”

“College entrances?” Chanyeol asked softly. “But Soo, you are so good in academics! I’m sure you are totally going to get into every college you apply in!”

“It’s not just that,” Kyungsoo turned to bury his face into Chanyeol’s soft hoodie and breathed in the floral scent of the fabric softener. “I’m also scared about us.”

“Us?”

“I’m applying for college in Seoul, you know that right?” Kyungsoo told him tentatively. “I’m scared that what if…..what if we don’t work out? All the stuff about long distance relationships. I don’t know. I feel like I shouldn’t leave.”

He felt Chanyeol exhale. “Soo, don’t let me hold you back from your dreams,” the deep baritone of his voice vibrated through his chest and into Kyungsoo’s head. “Don’t worry about us at all. We won’t break apart. What we have is too strong for that.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kyungsoo pushed himself away from the embrace to peer at Chanyeol and was surprised to find the boy looking extremely confident and with a soft smile on his lips.

“Because I trust you,” Chanyeol answered simply and Kyungsoo nearly choked. “I trust you completely and I know you’re not going to dump me just like that. And I can wait forever for you.”

Kyungsoo had no idea he actually needed to hear those words until Chanyeol said it. He felt his ears burning and was aware of a strange lump in his throat. Unable to look the other in his eyes, he merely raised his fist and punched him weakly on the chest. “You are such a cheesy sap.”

“And I know you like me for it,” Chanyeol laughed, making Kyungsoo smile too. “But, listen Soo. If you are still worried then I can always try for Seoul as well.”

Kyungsoo frowned at that and raised his eyes to look at his boyfriend. “As much as I admire you wanting to be independent, I don’t think you should, Yeol,” he began. “I agree with your mom on this part. And since we are both going to be so busy with college I don’t think I would be able to take proper care of you either.”

Chanyeol bit his lip and looked away. “I have relatives in Hongdae,” he began but then exhaled and shook his head. “Alright, it’s stupid of me I guess. Maybe I’ll try for Seoul in my Post Graduate or something.” Then he took Kyungsoo’s hands and looked at him with wide, worried eyes. “But Kyungsoo, you must look after yourself too. I won’t be there to give you massages and stuff when you go.”

Kyungsoo laughed in a good natured manner and pecked Chanyeol softly on the lips.  “Yes, I will.”

Chanyeol grinned and leaned in for a longer and deeper kiss. Kyungsoo, as always, let him.

It was only after a couple of minutes of deep kissing that things started to get more heated, their bodies pressing closer and hands wandering more. Kyungsoo was once again overtaken by a rushed wave of intense desire and he was vaguely aware of his insatiable fingers fisting Chanyeol’s hoodie and beginning to pull it up to show the flash of milky skin underneath before Chanyeol grabbed his wrist and stopped him, causing him to growl in frustration. He felt the other chuckle against his lips.

“Calm down, Soo,” Chanyeol’s deep voice sounded huskier and Kyungsoo managed to get more turned on than he already was. They pulled away for the slightest bit in order to hold each other’s gazes and Kyungsoo realized how dark Chanyeol’s eyes were. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

And with that, Chanyeol pushed him to lie flat on the bed and proceeded to kiss him breathless. For once, Kyungsoo was the pliant one because he was too tired to argue with Chanyeol and he didn’t regret it. Chanyeol’s lips and hands worked wonders, as he mapped Kyungsoo’s body all the while pulling off both of their clothing and marking his ownership on the smaller boy. He tried his best not to be too loud.

As they made love, Kyungsoo realized how gentle Chanyeol was compared to himself, who always got a bit rough and demanding. Chanyeol handled him like he was the most precious being in the whole world and unfailingly whispered sweet words and endless praise while making Kyungsoo feel physically good too. It was strangely relaxing, if intercourse was even supposed to be that.

When Kyungsoo lay on the bed, sweaty and sticky as well as too spent to move a limb, Chanyeol cleaned him up with a wet towel while at the same time still whispering gentle praises and helping dress him up. Kyungsoo felt like a toddler once again; a toddler being taken care of by his mom. He told Chanyeol that who ended up chuckling.

After cleaning everything up as well as getting dressed himself, Chanyeol placed one last kiss on Kyungsoo’s lips and turned to go before Kyungsoo grabbed his arm.

“Stay,” he half commanded in his now sleepy voice. “I want you here with me.”

Once again Chanyeol chuckled and then slid under the covers next to Kyungsoo. He wrapped an eager arm around the latter and hummed a soft tune that further lulled the smaller boy. Before completely drifting off, Kyungsoo turned one last time to see Chanyeol looking at him with a soft smile and overwhelmingly fond eyes. He fell into the best sleep he had had in two whole weeks.

……………………….

“I’m seriously considering burning my algebra book,” Baekhyun grumbled as the four of them walked together as usual to school. “The stupid thing isn’t getting over no matter how much I study!”

Jongdae rolled his eyes in reply. “Why did you take up algebra in the first place then?”

“I honestly have no idea!” Baekhyun whined. “Jongdae-yah! Please help me study today!”

“Only if you treat me with pizza.”

Kyungsoo smiled at the bickering that had sort of become a constant in their lives. He hefted up his backpack a little on his shoulders and walked a little faster in order to catch up with the two ahead of him. Chanyeol walked beside him, absently scanning the words on the sheets of paper in his hands.

“Chanyeol-ah,” Jongdae began as they all came to a stop near the street crossing, waiting for the traffic lights to change. “Are you even being able to study anything like that? Why don’t you wait until we get to class?”

“Mm, yeah,” Chanyeol murmured as he flipped another page and then looked up. “We have a surprise music theory test today and I haven’t really prepared anything.”

“Looks like there is another guy who is utilizing Chanyeol’s method of studying while walking. I guess it really works then,” Baekhyun motioned behind and they all turned and saw a boy also walking towards the crossing they were standing at. He had on the same uniform as them so they guessed he was a student of the same school. “That’s Zitao, isn’t it? The Chinese second year transfer student who came in the middle of the school year.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae said with a slight wince. “Must be so hard for him, having to adjust in such less time in a foreign land and all.”

“He is in my music theory class,” Chanyeol’s voice had a slight hint of worry in it. “The other students don’t treat him too well because his Korean sounds funny. I tried making friends with him but he is painfully shy.”

“It’s probably because you’re a senior, that’s why,” Kyungsoo stated and they all automatically turned at the same time as soon as the traffic signals changed. Hurrying a little, the four of them began crossing the road. Just as Kyungsoo put his first foot on the pavement opposite, Chanyeol gave a sudden gasp and rushed back, his music theory papers rustling and falling all around.

“Chan…” there came the sudden screech of tires and Kyungsoo’s heart jumped to his mouth as he whipped around sharply enough to give himself a sprained neck. Baekhyun and Jongdae were already beginning to run.

Zitao lay a few metres away on the asphalt, eyes dazed and shocked while Chanyeol lay on top of him, his bigger body shielding the younger boy. Only a slight distance away from the two boys stood an expensive looking SUV, its tires steaming from the sudden brakes as well as black strips marring the gray of the asphalt due to the skidding of the heated rubber. A person leaned out of the window and started shouting abuse at the two boys.

“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo suddenly found his voice as he ran in his panic to the said boy right behind Baekhyun and Jongdae. The relief he felt was immense when he saw Chanyeol lifting himself up from the asphalt as well as helping a frightened Zitao up. “You utter idiot, Park Chanyeol! Why do you have to be so rash!?”

“I’m fine,” Chanyeol muttered and Kyungsoo noted that his voice trembled a little. “Zitao, are you okay?”

The said boy nodded his head jerkily and bit his lip. He seemed like he was close to tears. “Thank you, hyung,” he whispered in heavily accented Korean. “And….I’m sorry….”

“It’s not your fault. Those bastards were the ones who ran the red light,” Baekhyun’s voice was angry as he turned to the driver who was still shouting abuse, now joined by his friend. There was also loud EDM music playing from the car. “Piss off before we call the cops on you, you assholes!”

The driver snarled in reply and opened the door of the car to get at Baekhyun but suddenly froze when they all heard a shrill whistle blow and a traffic police appeared to apprehend the rule breakers.

“Well, that takes care of them,” Jongdae said grimly as he tugged at Baekhyun’s arm and nodded towards the others. “Come on, guys, let’s go. We’ll be late for school otherwise. Zitao, you can stick with us.”

Kyungsoo’s heart was still hammering hard as he walked a close distance behind Jongdae and Baekhyun. He remembered the screech of the tires and Chanyeol’s bolting form with too much clarity and felt himself tremble. He could only think fearfully about what would’ve happened if just by chance both Chanyeol and Zitao would’ve gotten hit by the car. The thought of Chanyeol being hurt itself made Kyungsoo want to die.

Just as those thoughts were going around his head, there came an alarmed cry of “hyung!” from behind him and Kyungsoo whipped around for the second time that day. Chanyeol was leaning limply against Zitao who struggled to hold him up. “Hyung! What’s wrong?”

In a flash Kyungsoo was by his boyfriend’s side, grabbing his sagging shoulders with shaking fingers. He was vaguely aware of his panicked voice almost screaming Chanyeol’s name over and over again. Chanyeol’s eyes were rolled up in his head and he was so pale that he seemed almost lifeless.

“Kyungsoo, calm down!” Jongdae’s rational voice made itself heard in the distraught boy’s ears. “You’ll hurt Chanyeol even further if you’re so rough! He’s passed out!”

“It’s his heart condition,” Kyungsoo shouted this time and Jongdae as well as Baekhyun both stopped, their eyes widening in alarm. “Baekhyun call Ma Park or Yoora Noona! Jongdae get an ambulance!”

As Baekhyun fumbled with his phone to call Chanyeol’s mother and Jongdae jabbed in the number for the ambulance, a confused and scared Zitao knelt beside Kyungsoo with a hesitant but comforting hand on his shoulder while the latter held an unconscious Chanyeol close to his chest. Completely in contrast to his own heart that was beating hard enough to hammer right out of his chest, Kyungsoo could feel how weak Chanyeol’s heart beat was and nearly sobbed.

“Ma Park is on her way,” Baekhyun announced in a trembling voice.

Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut and prayed with all his heart that Chanyeol would be alright.

……………………

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me okay ^^; this fic will be coming to an end soon and as I've mentioned earlier, I'm not gonna make it a sad ending so don't worry about that. Let's say we have at the most two more chapters.  
> I know, this isn't my best so please forgive me. Life has been so hectic. And if you guys think I can improve my writing please leave me reviews. It will be much appreciated. Also, leave me kudos if you think I deserve them. Arigato, Eris. I love you, as always. <3


	12. Exams and Ambulances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. Assignments and exams had me close to being dead plus I'd been suffering from a horrible block. Also, Kyungsoo's enlistment announcement had me in shock and i had almost begun a new fanfiction out of sadness but decided against it. Anyway, here is the latest chapter. Hope you guys like it.

Three days passed and there was absolutely no sign of Chanyeol. Kyungsoo worried his head off but tried to refrain from barging into the Park household as much as possible. It didn’t mean he didn’t frequently call up Yoora to ask if Chanyeol was alright. She always gave the same answer, telling him not to worry and that Chanyeol would be back in no time.

Chanyeol did come back to school on the fourth day, being his usual happy and cheerful self. He laughed along when Baekhyun and Jongdae launched themselves on him, hugging him tight and welcoming him with loud relieved laughter and pampered Kyungsoo with attention he hadn’t been able to give in the past three days. Their usual group of four saw a new addition when Zitao began hanging out with them and they found out the hyperactive and silly person he was beneath all his shyness. He blended in well with all four of them.

But no matter how normal things seemed, Kyungsoo couldn’t relax the slightest bit. He noticed things that others didn’t. Chanyeol got tired more easily than before. He also seemed to be paler than before. And he often had bouts of long silent contemplations, something he never did before. Kyungsoo fretted and worried that all was not how it seemed like.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo tentatively asked one day when Chanyeol began dozing off while having lunch. “Are you really fine?”

“Huh?” Chanyeol mumbled in reply and shook himself awake. “Oh yeah, I’m alright. Just kinda sleepy because I stayed up studying late last night.”

“What?” Jongdae stopped shoveling friend rice into his mouth and frowned. “Chanyeol, you are barely recovering! You shouldn’t stress yourself out by overworking again!”

“I’m alright, don’t worry,” Chanyeol smiled widely before going back to eating again.

“Of course, we’re worried Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo burst out before he could stop himself. He couldn’t control it anymore. “You….you passed out right in front of us and stayed absent for three whole days. And you used to fall sick for even longer before. It’s been so long since you last fell sick like that, I- we are scared it would be much worse than before if you fell sick now!”

A silence descended upon their table after Kyungsoo’s outburst, which even the general noisiness of the cafeteria couldn’t drown out. Kyungsoo made eye contact with both Jongdae and Baekhyun and realized that they both were worried about the same thing. Zitao, being confused because he was still very new, looked back and forth between the four of them in bewilderment.

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft as he spoke out, tentatively holding the other’s hand. He offered a small, comforting smile. “I’m alright. I’ll be alright. You’re worrying too much.”

Kyungsoo still couldn’t bring himself to believe him. He thought Chanyeol sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself than he was trying to reassure Kyungsoo. And that just made the fear get worse.

Chanyeol continued being how he always was. He joked and fooled around with Baekhyun, annoyed Jongdae until he whined and complained, helped Zitao with his lessons in music theory and patiently helped polish his Korean, and continued being the doting boyfriend to Kyungsoo. But he overworked. No matter how many times the others tried to stop him, he studied until he exhausted himself and spent as much time possible in the music room, coming up with new compositions or perfecting the classical pieces he was required to learn. And the other change was, his mother came to pick him up after school so he could no longer sneakily stay back with them after school and walk back home together.

“I really hope Chanyeol doesn’t fall ill again,” Baekhyun mused one day when they walked together after their club activities ended (it was ridiculous they still had to continue club activities even when exams were fast approaching for “extra credit points”) “He is working himself to death and I don’t understand why.”

“It’s almost like he is afraid,” Jongdae added with a frown. “Afraid that he would probably not be able to complete everything in time. I hope he is okay.”

“I feel the same,” Kyungsoo muttered. “I really wish he didn’t overwork himself so.”

“Um,” Zitao spoke up at that moment, uncertain and a little lost. “I still don’t know what the matter is really. Does Chanyeol hyung have some….problems?”

Baekhyun bit his lip and exchanged glances with Kyungsoo and Jongdae. “Chanyeol….isn’t exactly the healthiest person out there. He’s always been sickly since we were kids.”

“It’s something to do with his immune system,” Jongdae continued. “He falls ill very easily. However he’s gotten much better than before. He hasn’t fallen sick in a long time now. But…..yeah, he passed out for the first time in a long time that day. So…we are worried.”

“He also has a heart condition,” Kyungsoo said, almost too softly. But Zitao obviously heard because he let out a gasp. “And apparently, it gets weaker the more often he falls ill.”

“I didn’t know,” Zitao’s voice trembled when he spoke and Kyungsoo looked up to see the boy’s eyes getting rather watery. They had also found out when they befriended the boy that he was extremely sensitive and emotional. “I’m- I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything,” Kyungsoo smiled softly at him. “If anything else, Chanyeol is also strong. He doesn’t give up easily and he definitely won’t let his illness get the better of him.”

Again Kyungsoo knew Chanyeol’s strength, knew how much the boy fought against his illness. But this time Kyungsoo felt like in reassuring Zitao he was reassuring himself more. He sighed. It all felt like such a mess.

………………

His phone rang when he just snapped his book shut and prepared to turn in for the night. Not bothering to check the caller ID, Kyungsoo placed the phone next to his ear while simultaneously trying to stifle a yawn. “Hello?”

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo jolted a little bit more awake when he realized it was Chanyeol talking to him. “Were you sleeping?”

“Uh, no…no I wasn’t,” Kyungsoo reassured, all the while feeling a little concerned. Chanyeol usually texted more than he called. “Why? What’s up?”

There was a heartbeat of silence before Chanyeol spoke again, voice sounding tentative and unsure. “Um….I was just wondering would you be willing to come over tonight. I can’t fall asleep.”

“Right now?” Kyungsoo asked lamely but got out of his chair and grabbed a warm jacket anyway.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to!” Chanyeol hurriedly assured him. “I just…..I was missing you. But yeah, it’s late anyway. You don’t have to come….no pressure.”

“Chanyeol, you live right next door,” Kyungsoo sighed as he softly made his way downstairs and out of the back door. He shivered a little when the chilly cold air hit him. “Of course, I’ll come over. Hang on, I’ll be there in two minutes.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol said softly, gratefully and for some reason Kyungsoo’s heart squeezed. He quickly ran across the backyard to the boundary wall and just like old times, lithely climbed up it in a flash. He landed right outside the familiar window with the blue and white curtains and saw that Chanyeol was already waiting for him with his window wide open.

“I had a feeling you’d use the wall instead of the gate again,” Chanyeol chuckled as he helped Kyungsoo climb through the window and into his room. “For all your maturity and intelligence, you are strangely irrational sometimes.”

“Walking all the way through our front gate and then again through yours is too much effort,” Kyungsoo shrugged as he took off his jacket and flopped down on Chanyeol’s bed. “Climbing a wall is much easier.”

Chanyeol laughed, bright and genuine and Kyungsoo felt warm. “You are weird sometimes, you know.”

“I learnt it from you,” Kyungsoo smiled in return. “Now tell me what’s up?”

At that Chanyeol’s smile faded a little and he looked away, fiddling with Kyungsoo’s fingers. “Nothing really,” he muttered distractedly. “I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to be with you.”

Kyungsoo didn’t believe an ounce of what he’d said when he said it was nothing. He shifted on the bed so that he sat facing Chanyeol and then took both his hands. “Chanyeol,” he began. “You know right, you can share with me if anything is bothering you?”

Chanyeol’s shoulders sagged and curled up on themselves. Suddenly he seemed so small and vulnerable.  “Can you…hug me?”

Wordlessly, Kyungsoo scooted forward and wrapped his arms around the other, pulling him close so that Chanyeol melted into his embrace and rested his head on Kyungsoo’s collar bone. His hair smelt of the lemon shampoo he frequently used. Shifting his face a little, Kyungsoo let his lips rest on Chanyeol’s head. “What’s wrong, Yeol? Do you want to talk about it?”

Chanyeol didn’t answer and instead nestled closer to Kyungsoo, wrapping his own arms around him. Kyungsoo sighed and threaded his fingers through the other’s hair. He would wait.

“I’m just scared,” Chanyeol finally murmured after around ten minutes had passed. “I don’t know, I’m just….really scared, Soo.”

Kyungsoo had no answer to that. He knew what Chanyeol was talking about, what he was scared of. And Kyungsoo had no way of reassuring him because he was scared of the exact same thing. All he could do was tighten his embrace around his boyfriend. “I’m there for you, Yeol.”

Chanyeol in return gave a shaky exhale and nodded his head. “Sleep with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo pulled away and smiled at him softly. He then adjusted himself so that there was enough space for both himself and Chanyeol in the bed and then pulled the covers up to their chins. They lay facing each other. Kyungsoo felt his heart squeeze again when he saw the conflict and fear clearly reflected in Chanyeol’s eyes. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Good night, Yeol. I’m here.”

“Good night,” Chanyeol whispered, carding his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair. “And…..thank you.”

They fell asleep side by side and pressed close to each other, breathing in sync. For once, the fear in both their hearts had quieted down as they rested that night with each other for company.

……………..

Kyungsoo was right in being afraid and worried because Chanyeol’s health did begin getting weaker. He got exhausted too easily and too fast and the school’s nurse’s ward became a place he frequented. Sometimes he even left school halfway to go back home if he felt too tired. Also, the ill-treatment by the rest of their classmates didn’t help in making things better.

Kyungsoo and the others, as well as even a few teachers tried to persuade Chanyeol into taking a sick leave and focus on getting his health better but Chanyeol was also known for his stubbornness. There was only a week more left before exams and he was adamant about attending school because he wanted to do well in his exams. It often infuriated all the people that cared about him. But somehow Kyungsoo also understood his desperation. It didn’t mean that he supported it

It was on the third day before their exams, when they were in school attending the last set of extra classes that it all went downhill. Kyungsoo fervently took down the Chemistry notes their teacher was droning, Jongdae beside him sometimes helping him when he had a confusion somewhere when the door to their classroom suddenly flew open making all the students as well as the teacher look up in surprise.

Baekhyun stood at the doorway, panting and looking panicked and beside him stood a pale Seulgi. Baekhyun’s eyes were wide as they scanned the students and then finally landed on the ones he wanted. Kyungsoo’s blood ran cold when his friend made eye contact with him. He dreaded what Baekhyun had to say already.

“Kyungsoo, Jongdae,” Baekhyun’s voice cracked yet there was a sense of intense urgency when he spoke. “Chanyeol isn’t waking up.”

That was all they had to hear before both Kyungsoo and Jongdae shot to their feet fast enough for Jongdae’s desk to topple forward with a crash. Ignoring their teacher’s demands and their classmates’ stares, the both of them rushed out, following Baekhyun and Seulgi as they lead the way

When they reached Chanyeol and Seulgi’s class, they saw that their English teacher, Mr. Wu had already hauled an unconscious Chanyeol out of his seat and was giving him CPR, none of the other students making any move to help him. On seeing Kyungsoo and the rest arrive, Mr. Wu immediately barked out at them to help him get Chanyeol to the entrance. The ambulance was apparently already on the way.

It was chaos trying to get Chanyeol down the stairs till the entrance as fast as possible all the while trying to be careful as to not hurt him further. They made use of one of the stretchers their nurse had hurriedly brought them and Mr. Wu made a flurry of other calls, first to Chanyeol’s mom and then several other people whom Kyungsoo guessed were other teachers and probably also the Headmaster.

“I’m confused,” Seulgi began in the midst of them struggling to transfer the unconscious boy. “Can’t we use the sick room? The ambulance would take too long.”

Mr. Wu looked grim and Kyungsoo realized he knew of Chanyeol’s condition. “I’m afraid just the sick room isn’t going to be enough this time.” And those words sent a chill through Kyungsoo’s spine.

The ambulance arrived fast enough and soon they had managed to get Chanyeol into the vehicle. The medics rushed about trying to get an emergency oxygen supply as well as some strange device and it was only then Kyungsoo realized than Chanyeol had stopped breathing for a bit. In the hurried shouting of instructions and orders between each other, one the medics said something about “cardiac arrest” and if Jongdae hadn’t been firmly holding onto Kyungsoo’s arm, he would’ve probably lost his footing in his fear and shock.

“I’ll accompany him to the hospital,” Mr. Wu said as he climbed into the vehicle after the patient. “You boys and Seulgi better stay because you still have classes to attend.”

They nearly argued with him but Mr. Wu was firm about his decision. His gaze was understanding and reassuring when he made eye contact with all of them however, and Kyungsoo felt like they could definitely trust him. “Stay strong and study well for Chanyeol’s sake.”

It was only after the ambulance left, its siren blaring and Jongdae momentarily let go of his arm that Kyungsoo’s legs gave away and he sank to the ground. He was trembling and in shock and was probably white faced but he couldn’t cry. He didn’t struggle or move when Baekhyun and Jongdae both wrapped their arms around him, holding him tightly. He didn’t flinch when he realized Baekhyun was crying and his warm tears were soaking Kyungsoo’s own shirt. Kyungsoo felt numb in his own fear.

When he returned home after classes however, Kyungsoo broke down as soon as his mother greeted him and began sobbing bitterly much to her alarm. She held him tight and tried to comfort him as much as possible even as Kyungsoo cried his heart out, clinging to her arm like he was going to lose her. He knew who he was afraid of losing.

…………………….

Chanyeol disappeared again and this time the Park Household stayed locked. Their exams suddenly descended upon them and Kyungsoo was forced to push away his worries for his boyfriend and focus on studying for his exams. He couldn’t throw away his career after all. Chanyeol wouldn’t want him to.

He still called up Chanyeol on his phone everyday only to either get no answer or an automated voice telling him that the device was switched off. He called Yoora but she was always too busy. He inquired his other friends but they had no idea about Chanyeol either. And he still felt too scared to call Mrs. Park. Kyungsoo was at a loss and almost going mad with worry. It was only his exams that surprisingly gave him a sort of twisted comfort because they distracted him from worrying too much about Chanyeol. 

When their exams ended Kyungsoo had nothing else to distract himself with anymore. He grew more frantic with worry. Why was Chanyeol seemingly shutting himself off from him and everyone else? To Kyungsoo, it didn’t make any sense. Unable to take it any longer, he took a decision and made for the Parks’ family restaurant that Mrs. Park ran.

Viva Polo was an Italian restaurant and did really well in their locality. It was rated the best Italian restaurant in their vicinity and Kyungsoo understood that day that the best restaurants were also the busiest. He would’ve stood in the restaurant, lost and possibly terrified if Mrs. Park hadn’t noticed him when she came out of the kitchen to talk with one of the waitresses.

“Kyungsoo?” she had exclaimed when she saw the boy. “What are you doing here all alone honey?”

Kyungsoo’s relief knew no bounds when she started making her way to him. He thought it was ironic that he was afraid to call her up but felt such immense relief on seeing her physically. For all her kindness, there really was still something intimidating about Mrs. Park. He gave her a tentative bow. “H...hello, aunty.”

Mrs. Park’s eyes visibly softened and she gave him a gentle smile that was also in many ways sad. “Hello Kyungsoo. I have a feeling I know what you’re here for.”

Kyungsoo swallowed and stared at his feet, being unable to look at the lady in front of him in her eyes. “H…how is he? He hasn’t been answering my calls and I…I…”

“Come here, dear,” Mrs. Park said gently and led him to the rest area of the waiters. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with this all on your own. Chanyeol, that silly boy, had asked me and Yoora to not tell any of you where he was and I couldn’t even refuse because he seemed so stricken. You must understand, honey, the boy is scared.”

Kyungsoo nodded dumbly. He sort of understood Chanyeol’s fear but it still hurt him when Mrs. Park revealed that he had asked her to hide everything from Kyungsoo. “I just want to know how he is.”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Mrs. Park smiled as she took out her phone and began dialing a number. “And while you’re at it, give him the good scolding he deserves.”

Kyungsoo nodded again and put the receiver to his ear. After around four rings, the line on the other end was accepted and Kyungsoo nearly dropped the phone when the all too familiar deep voice spoke up. “Oh, Eomma, what’s the matter?”

Kyungsoo took a staggering breath and forced himself to speak in as steady a voice he could manage. “Chanyeol.”

There was a sudden silence for some prolonged seconds and Kyungsoo was afraid that Chanyeol had hung up on him but the deep voice, now sounding shaky spoke up again. “Kyungsoo? W…why do you have my mom’s phone?”

“I came to visit her today,” Kyungsoo said calmly. “I’ve been worried sick and you just shut me out like that. Of course, I had to seek out your mom to find out about you.”

There was silence again before Chanyeol spoke up once more. “I’m sorry.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t stop himself from giving a bitter laugh. “You should be,” he felt his voice get a little hard. “Why have you been shutting me out, Chanyeol? Did you not think I would be worried? Don’t I deserve to know what’s wrong with you? Am I so insignificant that you wouldn’t even receive my calls nor tell me which hospital you are admitted in and basically cut off all contact with me so that at the end I have to literally seek out your mom and bother her while she is at work?!”

Kyungsoo exhaled and tried to regulate his rising anger. He was also trying his hardest not to swear at the other boy because Mrs. Park was standing right there. The next time he spoke though, his voice cracked with emotion. “Tell me why, Chanyeol?”

“It’s not that, Soo,” Chanyeol was clearly crying when he spoke next and Kyungsoo’s heart twisted unbearably. “I…..I miss you too. I want to see you….so badly. But I don’t want you to…to see me like this. So weak and….and _dying_ almost. I don’t want you to be hurt….I don’t….I don’t….” and Chanyeol just broke down and began crying.

“I know,” Kyungsoo spoke softly, tenderly. “God, I know, Yeol. Even I don’t know how I would take seeing you like this. But you know what would hurt me more? That is….not seeing you and being constantly worried about how you are doing. And….and, God forbid, if we do have limited time then….that’s all the more reason for me to see you.”

There was silence on the other end again, the only sound being Chanyeol’s sniffles and ragged breathing.

“Please, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo whispered, this time his voice being the one breaking. “I need to see you.”

Chanyeol took a last shuddering breath before whispering himself. “Okay.”

When the both of them finally hung up, Kyungsoo stood listlessly for some time, trying his best not to dissolve in tears until Mrs. Park came up to him and wrapped him in a warm hug.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she murmured. “You’re going to be okay. I’ll take you to see him.”

Kyungsoo buried his face in the crook of Mrs. Park’s shoulders and tried to pretend it wasn’t his tears hat was beginning to stain her work shirt.

…………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not many more chapters to go Eris. Sorry for the angst but I promise it will have a happier turn. As always, kuds and reviews will be much appreciated.


	13. Apologies and Flower Bouquets

Mrs. Park let Kyungsoo hang around the restaurant while she worked. She even let him enter the kitchen and watch the chefs at work because she knew that he had a deep interest in cooking. Kyungsoo was grateful for it. It let him concentrate with awed wonder on less painful things and he diligently went around asking a few of the cooks willing to talk to him how they prepared some certain dishes.

After a good few hours had passed, Mrs. Park took her leave for the day and true to her word, drove herself and Kyungsoo to the hospital that housed Chanyeol. He felt strangely restless somehow, with the prospect of seeing Chanyeol again after almost half a month but Mrs. Park, who had the same almost psychic ability as Chanyeol, kept constantly reassuring him and telling him not to worry. The hospital was somewhere in the center of their city and took quite a bit of time to reach.

“Come on, honey,” Mrs. Park smiled as she got off the car. “He is in the third floor.”

Kyungsoo followed in absolute silence as Mrs. Park led them through the huge double doors of the hospital, spoke briefly with the receptionist and then made for the elevator. Belatedly he realized that it would’ve been nice if he could’ve gotten something for Chanyeol, maybe some snacks or perhaps a manga. But he couldn’t contemplate further because the elevator glided to a halt and the doors slid open. Apprehension suddenly overtook him. He didn’t know if he was prepared.

It took approximately about ten steps from the elevator to reach the room that had a white card with the Hangul characters making up Chanyeol’s full name on its door. Before Kyungsoo could question his decision twice, Mrs. Park turned the handle and the door opened with a click.

“Yeol-ah,” she called out softly. “Look who is here to visit you.”

Kyungsoo took a deep breath as he looked at the wide-eyed boy in front of him. Chanyeol sat on the white hospital bed, his features seeming soft and gentle in his light blue hospital pajamas and against the stark white of the rest of the room. His hair was as soft and frizzy looking as Kyungsoo last remembered it. But his face clearly spoke of the signs of illness. Chanyeol was pale, paler than he had last been and there were pronounced dark purple bags under his eyes. His cheeks seemed a little sunken, like he hadn’t been eating properly, and the tiredness was visible in his eyes. His chapped lips wobbled a little as he took in the sight of Kyungsoo in front of him.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo cringed at the first word he managed to speak. He felt overwhelmed with emotions yet at the same time felt horribly awkward. “I’m here.”

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol whispered and then tears ran down his face. He let out a small sob before bringing up a hand to cover his mouth. “I’m sorry…..I’m so sorry….”

The next thing he knew, Kyungsoo was moving forward without being prompted and throwing his arms around the other boy who then dissolved into more sobs in his embrace. Kyungsoo held on to Chanyeol like a lifeline, rubbing soothing circles on his back and letting him just cry. Amidst Chanyeol’s quiet sobs and repeated apologies, he heard the tell-tale click of the door and realized that Mrs. Park had left the room to give them privacy. He couldn’t be grateful enough to the woman.

“Hush, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo murmured. “It’s alright. I’m here now. I’m not leaving you any time soon.”

Chanyeol nodded, considerably calmer now. “I’m sorry I tried to push you away.”

“It’s alright,” Kyungsoo hummed and gave a small smile. “You better meet Baekhyun and Jongdae soon and apologize to them as well, though. They are gonna get pretty mad at you.”

Chanyeol winced. “They are gonna kill me,” he sighed and rubbed his face. “I probably deserve it.”

Kyungsoo smiled a little wider and ran his fingers through Chanyeol’s soft brown hair. “Don’t forget Sehun and Jongin either. I met up with them a little now and then in the weekends. I’ve never seen Sehun so sad,” he told him. “And also Zitao too. The kid surprisingly likes you a lot and has also been worrying about you a lot.”

Chanyeol hummed, his eyes fluttering closed and leaning into Kyungsoo’s touch. “Yeah, I will.”

“How have you been, Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo, in all honesty, was dreading the answer to this question but he had to know what was wrong exactly this time.

Chanyeol made a face. “Weak. And sick,” he murmured. “I caught a stomach bug of sorts and have been puking too much. The doctor says it is a side effect of the stress I have been under these past few days. I can’t even eat properly and Mum makes such good food for me. It sucks.”

They both knew that they weren’t talking about the other major problem. About Chanyeol suffering from a cardiac arrest of all things that day. Kyungsoo wanted to know how bad the condition of his heart was but at the same time he didn’t want to know. Chanyeol clearly didn’t want to speak about it so he didn’t press either. “Well, that’s what you get for overworking when you shouldn’t have, dummy.”

Chanyeol laughed then, low and deep, and Kyungsoo realized just how much he had missed that sound. “Yeah, I was an idiot. Sorry.”

The door opened just then and Mrs. Park entered with a warm smile. She handed over a cloth carry bag to Kyungsoo who gave her a questioning glance. “You’ve been stuck with me all day, Kyungsoo and I realized I haven’t even fed you anything which is unforgivable on my part,” she said while still smiling. “These are only leftovers from the day but I got you some spaghetti from our restaurant.”

 Kyungsoo was pretty much speechless with the gratitude he felt. He accepted the carry bag and stuttered out a shy ‘thank you’ towards Mrs. Park who merely laughed and waved it away.

“And I got gruel for you, Chanyeol,” Mrs. Park said immediately after, handing her son a heat retaining tiffin and Chanyeol groaned. “Eat it up like a good boy.”

“When can I have your spaghetti again?” Chanyeol mused as he unscrewed the lid of the tiffin to reveal an actually delicious looking broth. “I can’t just live on gruel.”

“We both know that even my gruel is very delectable, son,” Mrs. Park sat down on the couch in the room with a slightly teasing smile. “Besides it would be a waste to feed you my spaghetti now since you’re only going to throw it all up. You brought it upon yourself, remember that boy.”

Chanyeol whined and Kyungsoo fought off the urge to laugh. “You’re supposed to feel sorry for your son and be comforting him!”

“The son who ignored his really nice boyfriend for almost one whole month?” Mrs. Park raised an eyebrow and Kyungsoo nearly ended up laughing aloud. “No, you will have to win both mine and Kyungsoo’s favour all over again, Park Chanyeol. Kyungsoo really is too good for you.”

Chanyeol pouted and spooned up some of the broth sulkily. “Fine!!!!! Thanks a lot, Mum.”

Kyungsoo looked over at Mrs. Park to see her barely hiding the grin that was threatening to bloom on her face. A welcome warmth spread through him and he smiled widely himself. He really loved this family a lot. As he turned to look at Chanyeol who was tentatively eating each spoon of broth, careful not to consume too much at once so that he didn’t throw it all up again, he felt a rush of protectiveness towards the boy. He sent out a silent prayer, asking for Chanyeol to be quickly restored to good health and an unending happiness for the whole family.

Chanyeol was close to correct when he had guessed that Baekhyun and Jongdae would be mad enough at him to want to strangle him. Kyungsoo returned to visit him the next day, along with two extremely disapproving best friends.

“PARK CHANYEOL!” Baekhyun’s bellow sounded before his face appeared at the door and Chanyeol promptly dived under his blankets. “IF YOU’RE NOT DEAD YET LET ME DO THE FAVOURS AND SEND YOU TO THE OTHER SIDE!”

A passing nurse gave the four of them a disapproving tut for being too loud and Kyungsoo ended up apologizing for his best friend. Baekhyun paid no heed however and just straightaway stalked to Chanyeol’s bedside and tried to pull off the blanket but Chanyeol held on to it adamantly. “Park Chanyeol, I know you are not asleep! Now show that face of yours so that I can deck it!”

Chanyeol didn’t budge and Baekhyun gave an exasperated sigh. “Jongdae! Come help me!”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but laugh as both Baekhyun and Jongdae pulled off the blanket with a strong tug and a protesting Chanyeol nearly flew off the bed in the process.

“You don’t treat a patient like this, you both!” he screeched.

“Says the person who kept his best friends in the dark for almost A WHOLE MONTH!” Jongdae retaliated. “You don’t get to speak, Chanyeol!”

“Kyungsoo, help me!” Chanyeol whined. “They are ganging up on me!”

Kyungsoo merely shrugged and kept his distance, much to the triumph of Baekhyun and Jongdae. “You deserve it for once.”

Chanyeol gasped dramatically and clutched his chest. “I can’t believe this! I need to get a new boyfriend!”

Kyungsoo giggled. “You think you can?”

“Kyungsoo, unlike you, understands the importance of best friends,” Baekhyun said severely. “You, Park Chanyeol, needs a lesson on friendship!”

“Says the guy who ignored his best friends because he was too busy serenading his girlfriend.”

“THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO!!! JONGDAE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT ME!!”

The four of them soon enough ended up talking like how they always did, blabbering about everything and anything under the sun as well as constantly bickering and disagreeing with each other. The gloomy hospital room was filled with bright laughter and good-natured teasing and Kyungsoo felt himself loosening up in a long time. He had missed this.

“I have an announcement to make,” Jongdae spoke out with a bit of a dramatic flair when the rapid conversation reached a lull. “So listen up, you guys.”

“You’re finally getting married?” Chanyeol immediately piqued up and both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo snorted out their laughter at the same time amidst Jongdae’s indignant denials. It was a running joke between them since Jongdae had been dating his girlfriend for so long.

“This isn’t about me,” Jongdae sniffled. “It’s about my brother. Nini came out to me last night.”

All three of them gave him the most incredulous of stares. And then suddenly all three of them erupted at once with questions at the same time.

“For real?! How long has he known?”

“But Nini dated girls in school! Oh wait, is he bisexual like Chanyeol?”

“Is it alright for you to be telling us this without him knowing?”

“One by one,” Jongdae grumbled. “I’ll answer Kyungsoo’s first. Yes, it’s alright for me to share because he told me to tell you guys. He wants to be out to all of us but he feels too shy to tell you all directly.”

Chanyeol cooed. “He is so adorable! What did you do to deserve a brother like him, Jongdae?”

“You make me sound like I’m a bad elder brother!” Jongdae probably had ‘indignance’ as his topmost emotion for the day, Kyungsoo thought. “Anyway, to answer your question, Chanyeol, he has been confused all this time and hence he dated all those girls. It’s only recently that he had his awakening. As for his orientation, he is probably a bi.”

“You say probably,” Baekhyun pointed out. “That means Nini still isn’t sure huh!”

“Yeah, he is still discovering,” Jongdae answered and then gave a weird smile. “Now for the cherry on top of the pastry. Guess who he is dating?”

“Who?” three voices spoke out at the same time with Baekhyun’s added, “He found a boyfriend already?”

“It’s kind of obvious,” Jongdae shrugged. “He is dating Sehun. That boy’s gay by the way.”

They erupted with more astonished gasps and queries.

“When did Sehun even come out? Wow!”

“My kid brother is gay?! I’M SO PROUD OF HIM.”

“Who’s the top? Bets on Hunnie being the top.”

“I don’t know and I don’t wanna know,” Jongdae shuddered. “It’s weird even _thinking_ about my baby brother and Sehun having sex brr! I hope they haven’t yet though. Makes me feel super overprotective as an older brother.”

“So that makes two gay couples in our group of friendship. Which leaves only me and Jongdae to be the straight ones,” Baekhyun mused thoughtfully. His head suddenly snapped up and he turned to Jongdae with a gleam in his eyes. “Jongdae, let’s break up with our girlfriends and then change our sexuality! Then we can date each other and we’d be a group consisting of gay couples!”

“What?!” squawked Jongdae, almost offended. “Why would I even break up with my girlfriend? Also, even if I was gay or a bi, you are the last person I would want to date!”

“But why?!” Baekhyun whined with his signature pout. “We’ve got such great compatibility! You’re a Virgo and I’m a Taurus! Plus I’m so cute!”

“We literally fight and disagree all day every day. And uh, sorry to say, but my girlfriend is cuter.”

“How mean! I’m definitely gonna start trying to woo you now, Kim Jongdae!”

“NO! STAY AWAY!”

Their argument was ridiculous as always but Kyungsoo couldn’t help but rub away tears of mirth as he laughed wholeheartedly at Baekhyun making kissy faces and a disgusted Jongdae trying to push him away. He could see Chanyeol doubling over with laughter on his bed, eyes crinkling at the corners from smiling too wide and smiled fondly at the sight. This had been missing for a long time as well.

“Also, I forgot to tell you but Zitao sent you his wishes,” Jongdae continued after he had succeeded to keep Baekhyun away from himself. He looked at Chanyeol as he said that. “He couldn’t come personally because he has dance classes. Oh, forgot to tell you guys again, but Zitao is friends with Sehun and Jongin. They go to the same dance classes.”

Chanyeol let out a long breath and settled back with an expression that looked something like disbelieving awe. “How many bombshells have you dropped today?”

“I know right!” Jongdae laughed. “But they are all really good news, aren’t they?”  

……………….

Kyungsoo took it upon himself to visit Chanyeol every day. It was a bit of a relief that exams had ended and he could enjoy some days of well-earned break before he began the application process for universities and colleges. He could dedicate his free time to looking after Chanyeol while both Mrs. Park and Yoora were busy.

Apart from Kyungsoo himself Chanyeol had a flurry of other visitors. Baekhyun and Jongdae dropped by often enough to engage in mindless jabber about the latest games and anime releases. Sehun and Jongin also visited, in which Chanyeol hugged and coddled them and gushed tearfully about how proud he was of both of them until they were both left embarrassed. Despite not being as overwhelming as Chanyeol, Kyungsoo left them a few warm words of encouragement and pride himself. He really was proud of the youngest two in their group. Even Zitao dropped by at times, always bringing Chanyeol pastries that Kyungsoo always ended up eating since Chanyeol couldn’t eat anything apart from his mother’s gruel.

“It’s nice,” Chanyeol muttered one day, when Kyungsoo sat next to him reading a book and he for a change sat in quiet contemplation. “Having visitors really is nice. It makes me happy and want to fight harder to survive.”

Kyungsoo smiled in answer and reached out to hold his hand. “They all love and care for you, Chanyeol,” he said softly “So make sure to fight like you always do and get better soon.”

Chanyeol squeezed his hand in answer and returned his own blinding smile. “Yeah, I will.”

Not all visitors were pleasant though, as both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo soon found out.

It was a Saturday and Mrs. Park had called up Kyungsoo to inform him that Viva Polo was extremely hectic that day and if he would be a dear and make Chanyeol some food and look after him for the day. Kyungsoo had only gladly complied and set about preparing some light but delicious gruel immediately.

When the elevators dinged open and Kyungsoo stepped out to start walking towards Chanyeol’s room, he caught sight of a man he had never seen before waiting outside the door. The man was dressed in an expensive looking suit and held a bouquet of flowers. He made no move to enter the room however.

“Um, excuse me?” Kyungsoo called out, making the man turn sharply towards him. Noticing the Rolex watch on the man’s wrist, Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shot up. What was such a rich man doing waiting outside Chanyeol’s room? “Are you by chance visiting Chanyeol?”

“Yes,” the man sounded strangely nervous as he answered but his face was deceptively calm. “Are you a visitor too?”

“I am,” Kyungsoo answered all the while giving the man a curious look. “But then why are you waiting out here, sir? Why don’t you go in?”

The man visibly hesitated. “Ah well, it’s a little awkward. It’s been a long time…..”

“I’ll go in first then,” Kyungsoo offered and then turned the knob of the door. He peaked in and saw, Chanyeol sitting up on his bed and reading while looking soft like always and Kyungsoo automatically smiled. Chanyeol head snapped up as soon as the door opened and his lips spread into his signature wide grin.

“Kyungsoo!” he called out happily. “You’re early today!”

“I missed you too. Your mom is busy so she asked me to look after you until she is free,” Kyungsoo laughed as he stepped fully into the room and began walking towards Chanyeol who was making grabby hands at him. “Oh, by the way, there is this man…..”

“Hello, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo whipped around to see that the man had already entered, holding out the bouquet and wearing a tight smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Kyungsoo frowned slightly at the not-smile the man was flashing and then turned to face Chanyeol, only to see that the previous happy grin had faded from his face and he now wore an unreadable expression.

“Why are you here?” Chanyeol’s words sounded cold and the man flinched.

“Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo began in confusion. “What’s up? Do you know this man?”

Chanyeol nodded in answer, not taking his eyes off the said person. “He is my father.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” the man bowed, not giving Kyungsoo enough time to process his own shock. “I’m Kim Min Hyuk.”

Kyungsoo bowed back, guarded and wary. He remembered what Chanyeol had told him about his father leaving their family at their direst time and couldn’t help but be suspicious of him. “I’m Do Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s…”

“Boyfriend,” Chanyeol announced before Kyungsoo could continue. “He is my boyfriend.”

The man, Kim Min Hyuk, looked surprised and then slightly uncomfortable. “I see. I didn’t know you were…that.”

“Of course, you didn’t,” underneath Chanyeol’s nonchalance Kyungsoo could clearly hear the grudge, the held-in anger. “I’m surprised that you actually know for a change that I’m sick and admitted in a hospital.”

“Some of my close friends and colleagues told me,” Mr. Kim said. “They told me that you lost consciousness in school and was in a pretty serious condition for some time.”

Chanyeol frowned. “That’s creepy, Dad. Stop making your underlings stalk me all the time!”

Mr. Kim gave an awkward laugh, trying to make it seem like he and his son were just exchanging jokes but the tension in the room was so thick Kyungsoo could feel it on his skin. He was also almost sure that he would be able to slice through it with a knife. “You’ve grown, Chanyeol.”

“Of course I have,” Chanyeol muttered. “Now tell me, why are you here? I’m pretty sure you didn’t just want to suddenly visit me. Is it because you want to persuade me to be your heir again?”

Mr. Kim flinched and Chanyeol gave a bitter laugh in answer. “Bingo,” he said sarcastically. “You don’t ever change, do you Dad?”

Kyungsoo suddenly wondered if he was intruding on something private and if the right thing to do would be to go out of the room. He could feel the tensed air around get tighter and he realized when Mr. Kim sent him a look that he wanted him out of the room.

“Um,” he began as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on. “Should I…”

“No, Kyungsoo, stay,” Chanyeol demanded, gripping Kyungsoo’s hand and pulling him back down. “You’re as much of a family to me as Mum and Noona are. So, stay.”

Mr. Kim sighed when he realized that Chanyeol was going to be stubborn and began talking. “I’m just worried about you, Chanyeol,” he said. “What with your health you would find it difficult to find a job in the future and I’m offering you my company because I want you to have a stable future….”

“I don’t need your help, Dad,” Chanyeol snapped. He wasn’t reining in his anger anymore. “I’d complete my schooling and college ten years late if need be, build a music school from scratch or teach students at home or just take over Viva Polo from Mum but I will do it all on my own. I don’t need help from a man who left his family and hurt my Mum when she needed support the most.”

Mr. Kim winced like it hit him where it hurt the most. “I know I was a horrible husband, but I care for you Chanyeol…”

“No, you don’t,” Chanyeol cut through again, unyielding and unforgiving. His eyes also showed hurt. “You only care about your work and you want me because your company would fall apart without an heir. Why don’t you just marry once more? You divorced Mum anyway.”

Mr. Kim didn’t speak up again. He stared at the ground, not even meeting his son’s eyes and Kyungsoo realized it was because Chanyeol’s accusations weren’t unfounded. But Kyungsoo also saw something Chanyeol didn’t see. The man felt guilt, genuine guilt and he was trying to make things right with his son. “At least, let me pay for your surgery when you have it. It’s the least I can do for you.”

A flicker of further hurt and despair flashed through Chanyeol’s eyes before he set a hard expression and turned away. “After all this time you still don’t realize money isn’t going to change my mind. We have held on our own for so many years and Viva Polo is doing amazing. We don’t need any payment from you, Dad. So thanks but no thanks,” the tone he spoke with screamed of finality and Mr. Kim hung his head in defeat.

“Looks like I’m unredeemable in your eyes,” he said with a sad smile and turned to go, not before placing the bouquet on the bedside table. “Goodbye then, son. I wish you good health and happiness.”

As Mr. Kim opened the door to leave, he turned around one last time and sent a wistful look towards his son who was still looking away, expression hard. He then turned and locked eyes with Kyungsoo who started in surprise. Mr. Kim gave him one last look and Kyungsoo felt a strange lump in his throat. Then he was gone.

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol spoke up just then, making Kyungsoo start for the second time. “I’m sorry you had to witness all that.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kyungsoo answered. He still thought about Mr. Kim’s look. Kyungsoo knew well what that look meant. _I’m trusting you with my son’s happiness-_ that look had clearly seemed to say. “He meant it you know. When he said he wanted to make it up to you.”

Chanyeol exhaled and then turned to look at Kyungsoo. The anger was gone and Kyungsoo could see the upset and hurt more clearly in his eyes. “I know,” he said in a pained voice. “I just……it’s been so many years and he’s come to me so many times and it’s always the same. He is always trying to make things right with money. Why doesn’t he understand…..money is not what I want from him as an apology?”

Kyungsoo didn’t know how to answer to that so he stayed silent, instead opting to reach out and hold Chanyeol’s hand.

“The least he could do for me was give Mum the heartfelt apology she deserves,” Chanyeol sighed, absently squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand in return. “Please, don’t tell Mum about this.”

Kyungsoo gave him a reassuring smile and nodded his head. “I won’t, don’t worry.”

He thought about Mr. Kim’s look for a long time that night, his computer switched on in front of him but his eyes unfocused and glazed. He also thought about Chanyeol and finally understood how the boy was so mature and understanding for his age. No doubt the Park family was fortunate and amazing, but Chanyeol still grew up in circumstances that taught him a lot of things early on. It didn’t make Kyungsoo feel any less overprotective of him.

With a renewed determination, he turned to his computer again and began scrolling through all the universities and colleges he had in mind before clicking on his first few preferences and beginning the application process. He wanted to make sure he got the right place and the right degree.

Kyungsoo took it upon his head that day to graduate successfully, get a good job and be the main provider so that he could support both himself and Chanyeol when they would begin living together in the future.

……………………….

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ChanSoo Week to all! I'll try finishing this fic before the week ends and try to get in a new fic for ChanSoo Day. Of course, no promises, considering how lazy I am.  
> As always, kudos and reviews are much appreciated. :3


	14. Of Hope and Shared Futures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> screech!!!! we have finally come to an end to this fic!!! of course, i will also be updating an epilogue so do look forward to it.  
> and also HAPPY CHANSOO DAY!!! even though it's not the happiest chansoo day but still :')  
> MAY THIS SHIP SAIL FOREVER AND EVER. also, i hope you guys like this chapter. i was personally pretty satisfied with it

University applications and career decisions were much more nerve-wracking than Kyungsoo had initially anticipated. There were entrances to study for and interviews to prepare for and Kyungsoo had applied for a number of institutions. He wanted to do a degree in Culinary Arts since cooking was his passion and he wanted to make it a profession. But thinking about interviews freaked him out.

Once again, he found himself holed up in his room and studying until unhealthy hours, trying to prepare for the entrances that fell upon him one after another. This time though, he made sure to leave himself some free slots in the midst of all the studying so that he could constantly go to check up on Chanyeol and give him time.

Chanyeol’s throwing up tendencies lessened down a great deal and he could begin consuming small amounts of solid food. He was still very weak though, weak enough that he couldn’t stand on his feet for too long and still got tired too easily. But his optimism never waned. Even if he had bouts of fear at times, he made sure to not hide it and took to having a healthy sharing routine with Kyungsoo. It made Kyungsoo happy, relieved and proud at the same time.

The both of them were growing and working out with each other through all their faults and problems. Insecurities were a hindrance and they recognized it now. Kyungsoo considered their bond to have grown only so much stronger.

“Chanyeol!” he burst through the said person’s hospital room one day, unannounced and startling the boy somewhat. “I need your help!”

“Of course,” Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed as he scooted a little on his bed to give Kyungsoo space to sit. “What’s up? How do I help you?”

“One of the universities contacted. It seems like I did well in the entrance exam and now they have sent a call letter for my interview,” Kyungsoo wrung his hands nervously as he said that. “It’s one of my most preferred institutes and I would be accepted in if I did well in the interview.”

Chanyeol immediately grasped his hands, eyes shining and smile proud. “That’s amazing, Soo! I’m so proud of you! I knew you could do it!”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo said, feeling strangely shy. “But…I’m really nervous about the interview.”

“And you need my help to prepare,” Chanyeol stated more than he asked and grinned even wider. “Of course, Kyungsoo! Anything for you! When is the interview again?”

“After around five days,” Kyungsoo made an agitated noise. “It’s too less days.”

“It’s enough days,” Chanyeol reassured him. “You’re naturally brilliant, Soo. You will charm everyone in the interview room in seconds, I know you will! You just need a tiny bit of practice and I’m here to help you with that.”

Kyungsoo gave him a grateful smile and nodded his head. “Thank you.”

They spent the next two days rigorously practicing, with Chanyeol asking him questions and Kyungsoo trying to answer them as confidently as possible. They tried to research as much as possible, trying to find out what kind of questions university personals usually asked in interviews. Even Baekhyun and Jongdae pitched in to help, also practicing for their own respective interviews in the process. The both of them weren’t moving too far, opting to take admission in the nearby city. Kyungsoo realized that he was the only ambitious one but couldn’t bring himself to worry much about it.

On the third day when the two of them were practicing with Mrs. Park also present in the room, giving them the occasional feedback or comment and sometimes tutoring them in the right sort of language to use, the door swung open and Chanyeol’s kindly doctor, Dr. Zhang stepped in with the usual warm smile decorating his face. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol immediately clamped their mouths shut, stopping whatever they were doing and Mrs. Park hurriedly rose to her feet to greet him.

“It’s alright. You don’t need to stand, Ma’am,” Dr. Zhang said with a soft laugh. “As for Chanyeol, how are you?”

Chanyeol gave a bright smile despite his apprehension. Kyungsoo understood the worry. It was usually always the nurses who checked on him because Dr. Zhang was often occupied by too many patients. He only visited Chanyeol when he had important instructions to give or the periodic checkups. It wasn’t even time for the periodic checkups but there he was, standing in the room. “I’m feeling much better Dr. Zhang, thanks to you.”

“Oh, no, don’t thank me. It’s because you are a strong boy Chanyeol,” Dr. Zhang said with a smile. “Soon you will be able to eat normal food.”

“Dr. Zhang, is there something more we have to know?” Mrs. Park spoke up then, the worry plainly visible in her voice. “It’s not time for his periodic check-ups, is it?”

 It was then that Dr. Zhang’s expression took on a slight tinge of painfulness, even though his smile stayed intact. He sent a questioning glance toward Kyungsoo’s direction, clearly to ask if it was alright to talk in front of the boy when he was not a family member.

“It’s alright, Dr. Zhang, you can speak in front of him,” Mrs. Park assured the man. “Kyungsoo is pretty much family to us by now.”

At Mrs. Park’s words Kyungsoo felt a rush of warmth and gratefulness. He felt overwhelmed by the woman’s words because it meant a huge lot to him, considering she was the mother of his boyfriend. The fact that she liked and trusted him so much so as to call him a part of their family made Kyungsoo unexplainably happy. He turned a little and caught Chanyeol’s warm smile directed at him, like the boy knew what he was feeling. He probably did. Kyungsoo smiled back in answer.

Dr. Zhang’s expression softened at the interaction and he cleared his throat a little in preparation to continue. “Since you say it is alright so I’ll continue,” he turned towards the said person, expression serious and no longer smiling. “Mrs. Park and Chanyeol, if you remember I had once mentioned a surgery.”

At the mention of the word, Kyungsoo noticed Chanyeol stiffen. Mrs. Park nodded, her lips set in a grim line. “Is it time then?”

“To be honest, it is slightly complicated,” Dr. Zhang was a little hesitant as he said that. “Chanyeol is healing well and I can see that he is in much better health now than he was a month back. But that is only speaking about his current illness. His heart however is weakening a little.”

There was silence as Dr. Zhang let that information sink in first. Kyungsoo felt a stab of fear and unconsciously reached out to grab hold of Chanyeol’s hand who immediately responded by linking their fingers together tightly. Mrs. Park looked fearful as well but she bravely nodded her head for the doctor to continue.

“The time actually isn’t completely ideal. We had initially planned to give Chanyeol at least one and a half or two whole months to completely recover and then perform the surgery,” Dr. Zhang began speaking again, making eye contact with all the people present in the room so that they all got the message. “But with how things are now, Chanyeol could suffer from a cardiac arrest again anytime and a second time would be fatal.”

Dr. Zhang paused again, to let all of them process his words properly and also calm down if they were freaking out. It was thoughtful of him but Kyungsoo also wanted him to sort of hurry up and just tell them everything.

“Chanyeol is still pretty weak and not hundred percent back to his full health so the surgery will be more complicated than usual. But even so, it still has a 60% success rate. We cannot risk another cardiac arrest so we want to take this chance. Only if you are willing to, of course.”

Sixty percent was terrifyingly less and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel horribly afraid. He turned to look at Mrs. Park and saw that she had gone a little pale but still kept up a brave face. Kyungsoo was scared to face Chanyeol.

“What do you say?” Mrs. Park directed the question as calmly as possible towards her son. “It’s really up to you to decide, Chanyeol.”

“Well, let’s do it then,” Chanyeol’s voice was steady and strong as he said it and Kyungsoo turned to look at him to see the resoluteness in his stance and the determination in his eyes. “I mean I’ve at least even got a survival rate and that’s good enough, isn’t it? Dr. Zhang, I trust you to look after me.”

Dr. Zhang smiled warmly again. “I’ll make sure that you are taken care of and come back from the surgery absolutely safe and sound.”

Kyungsoo, despite his fear couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of Chanyeol. He thought again that Chanyeol was so amazing and so admirably strong and he felt something like close to awe towards his boyfriend. When he glanced at Mrs. Park, she was also looking at her son with an emotional smile and glistening eyes. He felt himself smile too and then squeezed the hand he was still holding.

_We can do this, Chanyeol. We will get through this. Together._

 

Kyungsoo ended up spending the entire day with Chanyeol, well into the evening. Mrs. Park went off somewhere in between and came back with food for him as well as spare clothes, much to his surprise.

“I had a feeling that you were going to spend the night with Chanyeol so I got you more comfortable clothes,” she laughed when he looked at her in wonder. “Don’t worry, I already spoke to your mom and explained it to her.”

“Thank you so much. You absolutely didn’t have to,” Kyungsoo gushed as he took the back-pack containing his clothes and the container of food. “But will they allow me to spend the night with a patient though? I mean, I would be staying past visiting hours.”

“Yes, you are allowed. They allow at least one family member to stay back and look after the patient,” Mrs. Park said while giving him a soft smile. “And I’ve said this already but Kyungsoo, you are already a part of our family.”

The lump in his throat was back again and Kyungsoo tried to swallow it down only to find that he couldn’t. He stuck to giving a smile that he hoped would convey how grateful and touched he was because he couldn’t trust himself to speak. Mrs. Park merely grinned back and gave him a quick hug.

“I will be going early tonight okay?” she said, grabbing the coat she had taken off and draped on the couch in the room. “I’m doing the night inspection back in Viva Polo so I need to be there tonight. You two take care and behave alright?”

Mrs. Park left in a matter of minutes. There was a bit of prolonged silence after she left when Chanyeol chuckled a little and made Kyungsoo look at him questioningly.

“Nothing,” Chanyeol said, shaking his head while still smiling. “I’m just finding it funny she told us to behave. Like she knows what we do when we are alone together.”

Kyungsoo got what Chanyeol was trying to imply and gave his own quiet laugh even though there was a part of him that was feeling greatly embarrassed. “She probably does though.”

“Mm,” Chanyeol merely hummed with a smile. He looked thoughtful. “You have your flight tomorrow though, don’t you? You sure it’s alright spending the night with me?”

“My flight is in the afternoon, so I’ve got enough time,” Kyungsoo said as he quickly began taking off his clothes and putting on the more comfortable ones. He could tell Chanyeol was staring at him as he stripped and couldn’t help but feel a thrill run through his body. “Are you hungry yet, Yeol? We should have the food your mom left before it gets too cold.”

“Mm,” Chanyeol hummed distractedly. “I am hungry….”

“Now, don’t make any innuendos or bad jokes with that,” Kyungsoo finally turned around, fully dressed and raised an eyebrow. Chanyeol looked caught, like a deer in the headlights. “Because I am not doing anything tonight. So do you want to eat?”

“What a pity that I’m sick,” Chanyeol sighed and then nodded his head. “Sure let’s eat. Wonder what Mum cooked.”

It turned out to be simple bibimbap with lesser the amount of spice and kimchi than usual as well as no beef, obviously so that Chanyeol could eat without spoiling his stomach all over again. It was delicious but a little bland to Kyungsoo who especially loved spicy food. Chanyeol however hummed in approval all throughout.

“Mum is honestly the best cook,” he sighed in satisfaction and leaned away after around five spoonfuls of the whole meal. Kyungsoo frowned at how less he was eating but didn’t push. He wasn’t back to hundred percent after all. Silently, he finished the rest of it so as not to let anything go to waste.

Kyungsoo was contemplative as he watched Chanyeol settle in his bed, preparing to go to sleep after the food and after he had brushed and everything with the former’s help. Dr. Zhang had mentioned before going away that Chanyeol’s surgery was due in three days and it hit Kyungsoo that it was the next day after his interview. Meaning, it was the day Kyungsoo would be returning from Seoul but also Chanyeol’s surgery would be happening in the morning and his flight was in mid-morning. He would be absent while Chanyeol entered for surgery.     

“Soo?” Chanyeol’s questioning voice made him snap out of his thoughts and he turned to see Chanyeol looking at him in concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just…” Kyungsoo got up from the couch he was sitting on and walked forward to sit on Chanyeol’s bed when the other scooted back to make space. “I’ll be absent when you have your surgery.”

Chanyeol’s eyes softened in understanding and he leaned forward to grab hold of Kyungsoo’s hands. “It’s alright, you know. I’ll be alright,” he said with a soft but confident smile. “I just know it. You concentrate on your interview and don’t mess it up because you’re worried for me.”

“I’m almost tempted to miss my flight tomorrow on purpose because I don’t want to leave you,” Kyungsoo gave a small pitiful laugh and looked up to see Chanyeol staring at him with an unreadable expression. “How are you not scared, Chanyeol? I feel like my heart is going to beat itself out of my chest.”

“Trust me, I’m very scared,” Chanyeol said and he moved a little closer. “I’m so freaking scared. There is a bit of my mind that keeps telling me obnoxiously what if the surgery fails? What if…what if I don’t make it? What if this is the last night I’m spending with you? But I can’t afford to think like that, you know. I feel that…if I’m needlessly scared I’m actually reducing my chance of living. Sixty percent isn’t bad at all. It could have been worse. I could’ve gotten forty or even one percent. Honestly, I actually _thought_ I was gonna get lesser. But sixty…sixty is better than just half a chance of living. Sixty is more than half. So, don’t worry about me, yeah? I need you to be strong too, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo hadn’t realized that there were tears running down his face until Chanyeol reached out and wiped them off with gentle fingers, calloused from all the years of playing the guitar and the piano. He breathed shakily and then lifted his own hand to rest it on top of Chanyeol’s on his face. “Yeah…I’ll…I’ll be strong,” he stuttered out. “I’ll….”

Kyungsoo couldn’t continue what he was going to say when he looked up and saw Chanyeol looking at him with glistening eyes of his own and such overwhelming fondness that Kyungsoo shot forward and trapped them together in a bruising kiss. He kissed so intensely that Chanyeol got pushed back with the force, his head meeting with the wall behind the bed. Kyungsoo nipped on Chanyeol’s lip, making the latter’s breath hitch before pulling away to regard his red and kiss-swollen lips with his careful gaze.

Chanyeol gave a shaky laugh, clearly a little taken aback and winded. “Only you would think of kissing a patient so dangerously, Soo,” he said a little weakly. “I thought we weren’t going to do anything tonight.”

“We aren’t. But I figured since I’m going tomorrow I should leave you some good kisses tonight,” Kyungsoo shrugged trying to show nonchalance, but even he could tell that his voice was shaking. He caught sight of Chanyeol gazing at him fondly once again and felt his cheeks burn. “Do…don’t look at me like that! It makes me want to destroy you! With kisses….”

“Then do it already,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft, alluring even as he spoke and Kyungsoo felt a jolt go through his spine. “I’m waiting to be destroyed.”

Kyungsoo stared, the gears in his head turning and he pulled his legs up on the bed. He crawled slowly like a predator over Chanyeol who leaned against the wall, smiling and anticipating. “Only kisses, nothing else. No touching.”

“That’s good enough….” was the only thing Chanyeol managed to get out before Kyungsoo pressed his lips against him again, just as intensely as before and Chanyeol’s head jerked back once more before he snaked his arms around Kyungsoo and pulled him flush against his body, on his lap and began kissing back just as fervently. He parted his lips easily as always when Kyungsoo ran an impatient tongue on his lower lip and soon Chanyeol’s taste was rushing into Kyungsoo, his brain nearly short circuiting from feeling too overwhelmed. Their tongues danced together and Kyungsoo explored every nook and corner of Chanyeol’s warm mouth repeatedly making the other’s breath hitch and whine when he touched places that sparked his sensitivity. Kyungsoo swore he could do this forever.

Only as soon as he thought that Chanyeol pulled away and he nearly growled at the sudden lack of contact before Chanyeol moved in quickly to peck him and take his glasses off. Kyungsoo blinked in surprise, forgetting that he had even been wearing them in the first place.

“Your glasses were being a nuisance,” Chanyeol smirked before tangling his fingers in the hair on the back of Kyungsoo’s head and then yanking him back to his mouth. This time Chanyeol led the kiss and Kyungsoo let him only too eagerly because his kisses were always so much better. Chanyeol was considerably gentler but nonetheless hot and Kyungsoo felt his brain melt out of his skull when Chanyeol licked into his mouth and ran his tongue over his teeth and against the roof of his mouth. One of his hands rested on Kyungsoo’s neck and the other cradled his jaw while Kyungsoo’s own fingers were tangled in Chanyeol’s hair, pulling and tugging until the latter hissed and snarled in his mouth. They pulled away when they both ran out of breath.

Chanyeol’s hair was wrecked and mussed and his lips were swollen dark red and slick with spit. His eyes were wide and glistening, chest heaving a little from being breathless. Kyungsoo thought he always looked absolutely gorgeous like that. “Seeing you looking so beautiful makes me want to kiss you the entire night away.”

Chanyeol’s answering laugh sounded a little like a wheeze. “I would too, Kyungsoo, but I feel too tired already because I’m not in top shape yet,” he replied with a fond smile. “And trust me, you are much more beautiful than I am.”

Kyungsoo swallowed, feeling emotional all over again and then nodded his head. He moved off of Chanyeol’s lap so the other could lie down properly on the bed. “Yeah, you should rest. I should sleep too.”

“Sleep next to me?” Chanyeol asked, suddenly timid as he moved a little to make space on the bed for Kyungsoo to lie down beside him and Kyungsoo didn’t have the heart to refuse. Not that he would ever refuse Chanyeol anything.

They lay side by side on the too narrow hospital bed, staring at each other’s eyes before Chanyeol moved in and kissed Kyungsoo; prolonged, soft and gentle. “I love you so much, you know that,” he whispered against Kyungsoo’s lips. “And I was definitely serious when I said all those months ago that I wanted us to last and eventually get married.”

Kyungsoo felt tears stinging the back of his eyes but he willed himself not to cry. He had been doing too much of that lately. “I want one son and a daughter,” he whispered back. “And lots of dogs. I’ll come back from university with a cooking degree and open a joint bakery with Viva Polo.”

“And I’ll be a music teacher and…and occasionally help in cooking for the restaurant,” Chanyeol stuttered as he spoke, running his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair. “We…we will pull through, won’t we, Soo? We will pull through together.”

Kyungsoo nodded as he pulled Chanyeol into a hug, “We will. We definitely will.”

Kyungsoo held his boyfriend tight that night, trying not to say anything about the silent tears Chanyeol shed, nor trying to think about how his soft sobs broke his heart. Kyungsoo held him tight even as he shed his own few tears and drifted off to a fitful sleep.

 

The next day saw Kyungsoo boarding the flight to Seoul but not before Baekhyun, Jongdae, Seulgi, Sehun, Jongin and even Zitao came together to see him off and shout words of encouragement. He had already bid the Park family a warm goodbye and a promise to Chanyeol to keep calling. When he reached Seoul, his elder brother, Seungsoo who studied in the city and had taken a leave for few days from his university was there to receive him from the airport.

Kyungsoo was nervous already to say the least, as well as missing Chanyeol and his friends terribly. This was the first time he had come so far away from his tiny locality and it freaked him out. He wondered then if he would actually be able to survive in Seoul all alone when he came to study, if he got through that is. He called up Chanyeol more often than promised just to hyperventilate and Chanyeol calmed him down through phone. And when he felt he was bothering Chanyeol by calling too much, he called up either Baekhyun or Jongdae.

That night he also video-called Chanyeol in order to have one last practice before he went for the interview the next day.

“You sound flawless!” Chanyeol beamed at him once their practice session ended. “You’ll do amazing, Soo! I know you will!”

Kyungsoo tried to take his words to heart. But as soon as the next day dawned and he was dropped off at the University for the interview by his brother, he was all but a mess of nerves once again. He called up Chanyeol once more.

“I don’t think I can do this, Chanyeol!” he freaked out. “There are so many people and….and they seem so much smarter than me! What if I don’t get through? What if I’m not good enough?!”

“Hush, Kyungsoo. You shouldn’t doubt yourself. Remember all the practices we had,” Chanyeol’s voice itself was soothing and Kyungsoo felt calmer just by hearing it. “And remember that everyone is just as scared as you are. Don’t doubt yourself and also don’t pressure yourself. Just do your best. I love you and I believe in you.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo murmured, feeling a hundred times better. “Thank you, Chanyeol.”

“Anytime, Soo.”

As it turned out, Kyungsoo absolutely aced his interview after that. He had gained a confidence he didn’t even know he possessed as he spoke and the pleased looks on the interviewers’ faces were plainly visible. He walked out of the room with a relieved smile, feeling like a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders and thought with confidence that maybe he _was_ making it through the University of his choice after all.

His good mood only lasted for a short while until he remembered about the next much bigger thing in wait and felt the apprehension flood him all over again. He quickly boarded a taxi that would take him to the room he was sharing with his brother for the time being, trying not to feel too worried about Chanyeol’s surgery that was supposed to take place the following day.

As soon as he reached the room, he kicked off his shoes and his fancy tie and sat on his bed, immediately dialing up Chanyeol’s number. Seungsoo was absent, gone to do his part-time job which hadn’t granted him leave. The phone on the other end only rang four times before it got received.

“Hello?” Chanyeol’s deep voice rang through and Kyungsoo let out the breath he was unintentionally holding in.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo realized that he sounded a little breathless. “I…um…..the interview got over.”

“And?” Chanyeol pressed. “How was it? Did you do okay?”

“It was better than I thought it would be,” Kyungsoo admitted while giving out a soft laugh. “I…I have hope that I might get through.”

The line on the other end was silent for a few seconds before Chanyeol gave an excited and relieved laughed. “I told you that it would go well!” he gushed. “I’m so proud of you, Soo! You’re amazing.”

“We haven’t even gotten the results. Stop overreacting,” Kyungsoo laughed a bit more genuinely this time. His shoulders were losing a little of its stiffness. “I might not get through also.”

“You’ll get through,” Chanyeol announced confidently. “I’m 100% sure of it! Because my boyfriend is amazing!”

“Stop,” Kyungsoo laughed again, feeling a little bashful. Then he sobered up really fast and he thought once again about what was to come the next day. “Are you doing okay though, Chanyeol?”

“Hmm, surprisingly yeah,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m nervous of course. But at the same time I’m feeling strangely hopeful, you know. Like, it’s gonna go well tomorrow.”

Kyungsoo smiled as he once again marveled at how strong Chanyeol was. “I’m sure it will,” he answered softly. “I’ll be praying for you. I wish I could be there physically with you though.”

“It’s good enough that you are always thinking about me, Soo,” Chanyeol said softly. “I feel you’re always there with me, even if you aren’t there physically. So…don’t worry too much. I will come out fine.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo whispered. “I believe in you. And….I love you.”

“I love you too, Soo,” Chanyeol’s voice still held the smile and an overwhelming amount of warmth. “Now we should both sleep early tonight, don’t you think? You have a flight to catch and I have a battle to win tomorrow.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at that and nodded his head, even though he knew Chanyeol couldn’t see him on the other side. “Goodnight, warrior. And make sure you give the enemy a good beating.”

“I will for sure!” Chanyeol said in a dramatically anime warrior-like voice and then laughed. “Goodnight, Soo.”

Kyungsoo thought he’d have a peaceful sleep that night since he was done with his interview and Chanyeol seemed so much more confident. And maybe he did fall asleep with good thoughts and a peaceful heart. But he woke up in the wee hours of the morning however with a thundering heart, pounding head and covered in cold sweat. He’d had a nightmare and in that nightmare Chanyeol had died.

Staggering out of his bed and then grabbing his phone with shaky fingers, Kyungsoo walked as quietly as possible so as to not wake his sleeping brother, and then locked himself in the bathroom. He then slid to the cold tiled floor and dialed Baekhyun. After trying several times but still not getting any response, he realized it was only 4:00 AM and Baekhyun wouldn’t be awake, being exhausted probably from gaming all night until too late. Kyungsoo’s sigh was shaky as he dialed Jongdae next, hoping and praying the other would pick up. Thankfully, Jongdae did pick up, sounding groggy like he just woke up (which he probably did) and Kyungsoo instantly felt a little guilty.

“Jongdae, I’m sorry,” he began, his voice quivering and cracking. “I….I just needed someone to talk to…….”

“Kyungsoo?” Jongdae immediately sounded more awake and heavily concerned. “What’s up? What happened?”

Kyungsoo broke down then and told his best friend about the nightmare he had. He wept and revealed how afraid he was even as Jongdae hushed and comforted him to the best of his abilities. He calmed down after some time but didn’t fall asleep again.

Kyungsoo’s flight was at ten in the morning and he began getting ready to set out for the airport at eight. Seungsoo was a little confused as to why he was getting ready so early but then realized it was because of his worry for Chanyeol and merely helped his brother without question. They had a quick breakfast and then set out together for the airport.

It was a good thing in a way that they had set out so early because the traffic seemed to be especially bad that day. Kyungsoo’s nerves were already shot and he was already worried and the constant traffic jams as well as the unnecessary honking of the cars nearly drove him mad. By the time they reached the airport, an hour had already passed and Kyungsoo felt like he was ready to murder someone.

“Safe journey, alright?” Seungsoo muttered as he hugged Kyungsoo for one last time. “Give me a call as soon as you reach home.”

As soon as Seungsoo left, Kyungsoo received a message from Mrs. Park that made his nerves freeze over and his heart pick up a crescendo beat. It was a simple two line text that said Chanyeol was going in for surgery. Kyungsoo in return answered that he was just boarding his flight.

It took around two hours for the flight from Seoul to reach his city and an additional hour from the airport to his house. Kyungsoo spent the first two hours in excruciating agony as his phone remained switched off and he wouldn’t be getting updates at all. As soon as the plane touched down in the airport of Kyungsoo’s city and he scrambled out of the plane and into the airport as soon as possible. It was a good thing he only had hand baggage. But it was definitely not a good thing when Kyungsoo realized as he switched on his phone that he had forgotten to charge it the previous night and his long phone call with Jongdae in the morning hadn’t help either. He could only type out a message to his brother and his mother and send it to them before the damned device beeped and went dead in his hands. Kyungsoo nearly screamed out profanities in his frustration and also nearly threw his phone.

Seething but still trying to keep his cool, he quickly stalked out and managed to stop a taxi. Then he had to bear another whole hour in constipated worry until he reached his home. Much to his relief the traffic wasn’t too bad so they weren’t delayed.

Once Kyungsoo reached their locality and the taxi pulled to a stop in front of his house, he got out as fast as possible and quickly paid the driver before he threw open the front gate of their house and rushed in. As soon as he walked in, he saw a figure sitting on the front steps of their house, head bowed down. He could make it out to be a girl and it was most definitely not Seulgi because this girl had short hair and Seulgi didn’t.

“Yoora Noona?” Kyungsoo called out tentatively, his steps slowing down and the said person’s head shot up. As soon as she saw who it was, she scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

The Kyungsoo came closer and he realized there were tear streaks on her face. Even has he realized that, she gave a barely concealed sob and threw a hand over her mouth. “Kyungsoo….”

Kyungsoo’s heart sank to the pits of his stomach and he felt like he was going to topple over. He felt too numb and too disbelieving but there Chanyeol’s sister was in front of him, crying and sobbing. All that hope for nothing. “No…..” he whispered. “He didn’t….”

But he wasn’t allowed to continue because Yoora threw her hands around him and hugged him tight while still crying. Kyungsoo wanted to pull away, run away and lock himself in his room. He didn’t want to face anyone. He didn’t even want to live. Until he processed was Yoora was saying.

“What?” he asked, too weak and small.

“He survived!” Yoora cried out and that was when Kyungsoo realized with a shock that she was actually laughing hysterically while still crying. “He survived, Kyungsoo! He did it! Dr. Zhang did it! It was horrible! The surgery was so tensed. It…it went on for hours and we thought he wouldn’t make it. But he did it, Kyungsoo! Chanyeol didn’t die!”

Kyungsoo let out a shuddering breath and clutched at Yoora’s shirt with shaking hands. “He…he didn’t die?”

“He didn’t die,” Yoora confirmed, and Kyungsoo could hear the smile clearly in her voice this time. “Chanyeol is safe. I tried to reach you as soon as the surgery ended but I couldn’t. So I came all the way here only to find out from your parents that you hadn’t even reached yet. So I waited for you. To tell you that Chanyeol was alive and well…..and…and waiting for you.”

Kyungsoo felt the tears escaping his eyes as he gripped hold of Yoora tighter and finally let all out. He sobbed and cried out loud even as Yoora rubbed his back and whispered soothing things in his ear. It felt like something dark and heavy was releasing its grip on him and he finally felt so free. He felt like he could sing and dance in all his glory. Chanyeol had made it. They had both made it.

Yoora pulled away only when Kyungsoo had considerably calmed down and smiled at him through her own tears of happiness. “Now come. Let’s go to my brother,” she said as she took his hand warmly. “As well as all your friends and my mother is waiting for you back in the hospital.”

Kyungsoo smiled too as he let Yoora take his hand and lead him out. He felt lighthearted and so absolutely relieved. As he looked up to the sky that was a soft warm shade of blue with flecks of pure white clouds, he couldn’t help but think that they matched the colours of a certain set of curtains that waved beside a usually open and welcome window that would become such a significant part of Kyungsoo’s life. He recalled a silly game of backyard soccer on a hot summer day and how it led him to an equally silly boy with elfish ears who was as warm as the sun, and who went on to completely capture his heart. He sighed softly.

_You really did it, Chanyeol. You won the battle,_ he thought. _We got through this. Let’s be together forever for a hundred plus years._

Even as the breeze blew and Yoora paused to call a taxi, Kyungsoo grinned and turned to whisper softly to the passing breeze. “Thank you. And I love you.”

……………………………

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sigh, this was such a journey! firstly, thank you so much to everyone who have been following this fic since the very beginning and continued to support me all throughout. i was a very bad and lazy writer and i know i didn't update very fast but yet you guys were so patient with lazy ol' me :') i owe you guys everything! also, this was my second ever fanfic that i started and continued for so long and my first ever multichapter fic but yet i recieved so much love that it overwhelmes me. you guys thought this was worth reading and i was worth supporting and i'm just full of gratefulness. i'm not the oldest eri and i'm much newer to the shipping universe and thank you for all the support you gave to this newbie. ARIGATO ERIS <3  
> As always, i am ever grateful to your kudos and your comments (YOU DON"T KNOW HOW HAPPY YOUR COMMENTS MAKE ME AND I LOVE REPLYING TO THEM!) and please continue to support me if you think i deserve it.  
> also, let's all support our squishy Kyungsoo and wait for him, love him and be strong for him as well as Minseokkie while they are in the military. and let's break through the roofs of the music industry with ChanHun and Bobohu!! and to those who are attending EXOPLANET #5, i hope you guys have the best time in your lives! (i can't go * sniff! *)  
> Annyeong for tonight eris, and stay tuned for the Epilogue. also HAPPY CHANSOO DAY ONCE AGAIN!!! (i love them too much T^T)


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eek, the last chapter was kinda cheesy wasn't it? ^^;  
> anyway, here is the epilogue as promised

Do Kyungsoo loved the outdoors. He loved waking early just in time to hear the birds in their backyard strike up a cheerful chorus. He loved putting on his work shirt after freshening up and donning the dark grey apron he had become very fond of. He loved taking out his cycle (he hated using their car) and riding down the neighbourhood road only a few blocks away to the small but homely bakery nestled right next to the only Italian restaurant in the area with its bright ultramarine blue name-board. He loved walking into the bakery and greeting his enthusiastic staff and then inspecting how much of the morning work they were done with.

Kyungsoo also loved feeling the heat of the oven and the flour drying on his finger-tips as he and his two assistant bakers made all the bread and confectionary for the day. They also served coffee, though it would never reach the standards of the beverage served in Café Cloud 9, a place which Kyungsoo recalled with fond memories.

His bakery did well and got a decent amount of customers, mainly people who looked for good fulfilling dessert after dining in Viva Polo. He also had some faithful regulars. Baekhyun would always drop in, obnoxiously loud for the morning and always grabbing the same order of coffee and buttered croissant before dashing off to work. Thankfully his office wasn’t very far off from the bakery and he often also came in between work for more coffee and a heart to heart chat with his best friend. Jongdae was the second person who was a regular and he always came smiling ear to ear and ordering loaves of Kyungsoo’s freshest bread. He claimed both he and his wife didn’t like bread from anywhere else. Sometimes he brought her along and the three of them would catch up, laughing at old jokes and Kyungsoo would tease a bashful Jongdae and congratulate him for inevitably marrying his middle school girlfriend.

Seulgi also dropped by as often as she could. She had taken over her father’s business and she was much busier than all of them combined but she still made time to drop by the bakery and stuff herself generously with pastry because she complained she never got to eat as she pleased anymore. Sehun and Jongin, who were still lovers and lived together, bringing up four dogs together as well as working as dance teachers in their old dance academy also visited the bakery to buy baked goods and catch up with their favorite hyung. Sometimes, Zitao, who worked in their old school as a Mandarin teacher dropped in too to grab snacks for his students. Kyungsoo wondered if he was spoiling them too much.  

Kyungsoo loved his current life. Despite all the education in big cities and his impressive Degrees and other accolades, he had always somehow known he would come back to his small but warm neighbourhood; the place he had spent the majority of his life in, the place that gave him all his experience and all his friends. The place that gave him his current life. He especially loved, with all his giddily thumping and rather disbelieving heart when in mid-afternoon the pleasant silver bell on their bakery door would tingle and two happy kindergarten kids would traipse in hand-in-hand and calling out “Appa” in twin voices. The older girl with her neat double braids and familiar wide grin would reach Kyungsoo first when he would kneel down to gather them in his arms and then the younger brother with wide eyes and a smaller but equally happy smile would soon follow.

Kyungsoo would end his shift then and leave the handling of the bakery to his co-workers to walk back home pushing the bicycle along instead of riding it and talking animatedly with the two children, Sometimes he would let his son or his daughter sit on the cycle and he would push them along until they giggled and laughed in glee.

But Kyungsoo especially loved returning home and opening the gates to hear the beautiful melody of the piano floating out of the open window with the blue and white curtains fluttering, different from the ones he remembered from his childhood but still very familiar. He loved how the first thing that would greet them was the excited yipping and the front door swinging open to let out three very hyperactive dogs, all poodles, rushing out to welcome Kyungsoo and his kids. Their front yard would then be filled with a familiar cacophony of happy barking and cheerful childish squeals.

Then a tall smiling man would come out of the house and Kyungsoo would remember why he was so happy in his life. Park Chanyeol, with his grin as bright and warm as the sun and eyes sparkling with all the fondness, would bundle up Kyungsoo in a hug and a long loving kiss, gushing a “welcome home!” in his ear that never waned in its enthusiasm and Kyungsoo would fall in love with the man all over again. Chanyeol would then proceed to hug and kiss their children too and Kyungsoo would look on lovingly, wondering how he got so lucky to have the family he did now.

When Chanyeol would look up at him with a knowing smile and holding out his hand, Kyungsoo would smile back and take his hand. With their kids and their dogs they would walk back to their house and the door would swing shut to proudly boast the “Park-Do” plaque that hung on it.

Kyungsoo loved his life. And he thought he would have never learned to love so much with his heart if Chanyeol hadn’t come along in his life all those years ago, making him fall in love for the first time and loving him back in return, loving hard and deep enough to be able to fight through an almost daunting illness and teaching Kyungsoo himself to fight through all the years in Seoul away from him. Kyungsoo was unspeakably grateful. But he was more in love. And he knew that Chanyeol was too.

**_FIN_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some pointers about a few things, though I’m pretty sure you guys have noticed it:  
> 1.The title is bit of a pun or a reference to two of the most recurring subjects in the whole fic. The window for Chanyeol’s room window where soo and yeol first met and which stays a solid symbol of their blooming friendship and love all throughout. And the heart in reference to their biggest challenge i.e Chanyeol’s illness.  
> 2.Chanyeol later makes up with his dad because he finaly apologizes to his mum. Mrs. Park doesn’t really forgive him but Chanyeol is more willing.  
> 3.Baekhyun later gets married too. He breaks up with his second girlfriend but then meets someone else in his university years and she is a much better person.  
> 4.I haven’t decided who ChanSoo’s kids are but when I thought about them I pictured Donghyuck and Yerim for some strange reason.  
> And that’s all I can think of. The story is pretty straightforward tbh. But if you guys wanna know anything more, leave me comments. Thank you once again <3 ily, eris!

**Author's Note:**

> That was the first chapter.^^; Please don't abandon me TT I swear it will get better!  
> Reviews and kudos are much appreciated.^-^


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